Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan said this year, perhaps more than any other Australia Day in living memory, Australia Day was a chance to acknowledge we are all part of the story of Australia.

He said that reflecting on the extraordinary events of the past 12 months, Australia Day was a day for residents to also give thanks to all those who have contributed so much over the past year.

"Recently our nation has faced fire, flood, drought and the coronavirus pandemic. On Australia Day, we reflect on the selfless and courageous sacrifice of thousands of first responders and frontline workers who put the safety and wellbeing of others before their own," he said.

"We celebrate the resilience of communities and the spirit of helping, giving and supporting that defines us as Australians.

"Australia Day is a day to be proud of our nation and show how much we love Australia."

Mr Tehan said Australia Day was not just about the past year - it was about more than 65,000 years of shared history.

"We also reflect on our nation's history, which began tens of thousands of years ago with the First Australians - the world's oldest living culture - and on the impact that European settlement had on our First Australians and their way of life," he said.

"We reflect on our modern history - the waves of immigration that have shaped us into one of the world's great multicultural success stories and we celebrate those new Australians making their citizenship pledge on Australia Day.

"Australia's place in the world is built on our shared values of respect for freedom of the individual, democracy, commitment to the rule of law and equality of opportunity - on Australia Day we celebrate our nation's place in the world."

"We all have different views and backgrounds, but Australia Day is a day to respect and share the stories, histories and contributions everyday Australians, like those in Wannon have made, and continue to make, to our nation."

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