Speeches
Thursday, 26 February 2026
Citizen of the Year Awards Ceremony
Rod and I welcome you all to Government House for the presentation of the Australia Day Citizen of the Year awards.
It’s an event we look forward to and love hosting.
That’s because it enables us to reciprocate, whether in person to those who can be here, or symbolically to those who cannot, the warmth and hospitality we experience as we travel around South Australia.
And it is a key event in my annual program of engagements at which to honour the quiet work that is done around the state, by so many people, in building, sustaining and nurturing our civic life, our institutions, and our society.
These awards derive stature and strength because they result from nominations by members of the public.
In this, they not only give all South Australians the opportunity to identify and acknowledge someone who is making a difference in their community.
They also, by definition, speak to the kind of society citizens want to see.
The civic engagement that this represents is integral to a well-functioning society and a healthy body politic.
To the Romans, who developed the notion of citizenship, to be a citizen meant more than simply to live within the Roman empire.
It signified active participation in public life and in turn was a source of pride and protection.
To be able to say “I am a Roman citizen” was a guarantee of free passage and protection wherever one might be.
To be able in our day to say “I am an Australian citizen” is the proud claim of not only the original inhabitants of this country but those from more than 200 others.
It would not I think be exceeding the bounds of vice-regal propriety to observe that the civic compact in Australia is facing challenges, challenges often rooted in intolerance and amplified by stridency.
It is therefore a time at which we must work all the harder to affirm, to celebrate, and to strengthen, the values of respect, of tolerance, of respectful debate, of civic duty, of the importance of good citizenship.
Precisely because of the diversity I have spoken about, there will be many views and perspectives to be heard.
But they can and must be heard in a spirit that preserves the best in us, that draws on the hopes and aspirations of all of us, to live in a society of fairness, of opportunity, of justice, and of decency.
In Rod’s and visits to high schools across the state, we are inspired by the spirit of our young people to make these ideals a reality.
We are inspired by the kind of citizens they are in the process of becoming.
We are inspired by the people who generously give of themselves and help shape their communities, who are championing inclusion, diversity, and active citizenship.
We are inspired by those who see a need and step up to make change.
Most recently I witnessed this spirit at Port Pirie when I joined the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the municipality and then in the morning celebrated Australia Day on the beach.
There I found a sense of fellowship and communal identity, whether those I met had lived in Port Pirie for generations or were recent arrivals.
I am sure this sense of togetherness and pride was replicated throughout the State and indeed our nation.
Friends
I am sure all South Australians were immensely proud that Katherine Bennell-Pegg was recently named the 2026 Australian of the Year.
She is a remarkable individual who has much to offer our nation.
To all the nominees for Citizen of the year, and to the about-to be-announced winners, you, too, have much to offer our nation, and we are proud of you.
While your achievements are varied, your contributions share one thing in common: you model citizenship, you model the active participation which is the very essence of our communities and, ultimately, of our country.
I thank you for your generosity of spirit and your hard work.
I know you don’t seek recognition, but the ceremony today affords us the opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you.
I thank the Australia Day Council of South Australia for co-ordinating these awards and this ceremony.
In this way, we not only honour individuals but have an opportunity to reflect on the kind of society that we want Australia to be and to become.
As we celebrate this evening, let us take away a spirit of reflection and a renewed determination to make our own contribution as citizens.