Speech delivered on 9 March 2026 at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra.

Good morning, everyone.

I am so delighted by the embodiment of the Commonwealth — its unity without uniformity, its diversity and shared values — that we have seen already this morning.

The PNG Peroveta Choir and the Lali Drums of Welcome, the greeting party and the Fijian warriors who escorted me in, the Lion Dance and, of course, Uncle Warren Daley’s generous and profoundly important Welcome to Country, represent so beautifully what it means to be part of a family of nations.

And I know the rest of today’s program will showcase the same joy and diversity. And just now, to sing Ubuntu together — led so beautifully by Johanna — created a true sense of togetherness that sets the tone for this celebration.

I would also like to acknowledge that we gather today on Ngunnawal land, and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of Canberra and the region.

I pay my respects to the Ngunnawal Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people with us today.

It is also now a tradition at Government House, whenever we welcome someone arriving from overseas to represent their nation in Australia, that an Aboriginal Elder conducts a smoking ceremony and we hold a welcome ceremony. It is one of the most important ways we honour this land and its First Peoples — and a beautiful reminder, even later at lunch, when the scent of the smoking ceremony still lingers, of the spirit in which we welcome friends to our country.

I am so pleased to return to the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture for my second Commonwealth Day celebration as Governor General and as Patron of the ACT Branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

This morning, I want to acknowledge:

• David Smith MP, Member for Bean, representing the Prime Minister
• Professor Peter Sherlock, Executive Director, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Charles Sturt University
• Kanti Jinna, Convenor, Commonwealth Day Ceremony Committee, and your fellow committee members
• Honorary Professor Matthew Neuhaus, President, Royal Commonwealth Society
• Amardeep Singh, Chair, Canberra Interfaith Forum
• High Commissioners of Commonwealth countries, and members of the Diplomatic Corps
• Distinguished guests, including the representatives of Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Jewish, Sikh and all the faith communities gathering here this morning; the performers and participants — you are all distinguished and so very welcome.

It is my great honour and pleasure to read to you The King’s Commonwealth Day message:

THE KING’S COMMONWEALTH MESSAGE TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, REALMS AND THE COMMONWEALTH

We join together on this Commonwealth Day at a time of great challenge and great possibility. Across our world, communities and nations face the increasing pressures of conflict, climate change and rapid transformation. Yet it is often in such testing moments that the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth is most clearly revealed.

Ours is a remarkable association that spans every ocean and continent. Embracing an extraordinary diversity of culture, language and faith, our Commonwealth family is united by shared values of justice, democracy, opportunity, compassion and mutual respect. In a world that can feel increasingly fragmented, this voluntary union of free association remains rare and precious – a forum for open and honest discussion and debate to help improve the lives of the nearly three billion people who call our Member States home.

Our Commonwealth of Nations holds untapped potential for prosperous trade between trusting partners. With nearly two thirds of our population under the age of thirty, we are a family defined by youth and possibility. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that they inherit not only hope and ambition, but also a world in which they can flourish.

That inheritance depends upon the health of our planet and on the restoration of the natural world on which we depend. Across so many parts of our Commonwealth climate change is not an abstract or distant threat, but a lived reality. The stewardship of Nature, the protection of oceans and forests, and the pursuit of prosperity secured in harmony with the natural world are duties we owe not only to one another, but to generations yet unborn.

As we look ahead to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda later this year, we are reminded that the great gatherings of our nations are strengthened by the daily endeavours of their people. What distinguishes the Commonwealth is not only what our governments resolve together, but what our people do each day in countless acts of service, enterprise and creativity. When leaders meet, they do so on behalf of millions whose quiet determination, resilience and generosity give true meaning to our shared endeavour.

Working together, we can ensure that the Commonwealth continues to stand as a force for good – grounded in community, committed to the kind of restorative sustainability that has a return on investment, enriched by culture, steadfast in its care for our planet, and united in friendship and in the service of its people.

His Majesty also wrote to all Australians with care, compassion and encouragement following the unspeakable antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

With his deep understanding of our country, and his profound affection for Australians, he wrote that “in times of hurt, Australians always rally together in unity and resolve.”

I reflected on this on Thursday, during my meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney.

As fellow Commonwealth countries, Canada and Australia have so much in common — as vast lands with unique and beautiful landscapes and diverse populations, we are both modern, optimistic and successful nations.

Our meeting was an opportunity to exchange condolences for the tragedy at Bondi, and the horrific shooting at a Canadian high school in Tumbler Ridge that took place in recent months, and we described the spirit and acts of unity that surged in our communities in response to those horrific incidents.

The theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day, “Unlocking opportunities together for a prosperous Commonwealth” is a goal that emerges from the unity that lies at the heart of the Commonwealth, and which we celebrate today.

The prosperity we seek encompasses the cultural, economic, and social wellbeing of every person in our family of 56 independent countries in the Pacific, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, and Europe.

It is a shared Commonwealth goal that sustains our ties as democratic nations of peace, equality and diversity.

In January, I was proud to host a multifaith roundtable with religious leaders at Admiralty House in Sydney, where we reflected on our response to the unspeakable antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach.

In a safe place — in a space much like this, with its atmosphere of peace and welcome, where there are no politics or policies to debate — we came together to discuss a national project of unity, and to find the pathways to elevating care, kindness, respect and love among people and communities.

When I was sworn in as Australia’s 28th Governor General I promised to put care, kindness and respect at the centre of my work.
Care for each other; care for those who care for others; care for our continent and its environmental riches; care for civics and institutions; and care for the way we discuss the issues of our time, without rancour, anger or judgement.

In a world of increasing conflict and complexity, how we debate the big issues of the day has taken on a new urgency.

I believe we need to be able to disagree well — to wrestle with the idea, and not the person proposing it. We also need to be able to listen deeply and actively — not just wait for our turn to talk.

The Commonwealth’s principles of consultation and cooperation in the common interest are a beacon of how to agree well — to discuss and to debate, but to do so with respect.

That is at the heart of unity.

And, in our Commonwealth, we strive to practise and sustain that unity between nations, at every level of society.

From the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which will be held this year in Antigua and Barbuda in November, to multifaith services and events happening around the world to celebrate Commonwealth Day — in our shared values and in the spirit of consensus we cherish — we unlock the opportunity of unity, care, kindness and respect.

On Commonwealth Day 2026, I am proud to join you here to celebrate with so much joy the rich beauty, diversity and unity of our Commonwealth — a Commonwealth that spans the world and brings people together in love and friendship.