Wagga Wagga welcomes new citizens during Refugee Week

Published: 24 Jun 2021 10:33am

Wagga Wagga City Council welcomed 29 new citizens at an Australian citizenship ceremony to mark Refugee Week from 20–26 June 2021.

The conferees, who included 13 children, came from seven countries including Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

They became Australian citizens as part of a ceremony at the Wagga Wagga Civic Centre ton Thursday 24 June.

Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga Councillor Greg Conkey OAM said Council was marking this year’s national Refugee Week, held each year during June and coinciding with UNHCRs World Refugee Day on 20 June, with a citizenship ceremony to showcase the city’s support for humanitarian resettlement, and to celebrate our community’s multicultural diversity.

“Modern Australia has been shaped by migration. Nearly half of all Australians were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas,” Cr Conkey said.

“Humanitarian resettlement has played an important part of this story, with more than 920,000 refugees and others in humanitarian need resettled in Australia since the end of World War II.

“In welcoming these 29 new citizens and celebrating their full and formal membership of the Australian community, we are also taking this opportunity to showcase and celebrate Australia’s contribution to global humanitarian resettlement efforts.”

The Mayor encouraged people to share their Refugee Week celebrations or stories by sharing pictures on social media using #Refugeeweek.

Refugees contribute to Australia in many ways; by enhancing the prosperity of their community through local business and social enterprise; sharing their culture; and bringing new ideas.

You can read some of their stories here: www.homeaffairs.gov.au/refugeeweek