Today we celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day - marking 34 years since the Ukrainian people enacted their independence from the Soviet Union.
Today's celebration is a particularly poignant one as the Ukrainian people fight to sustain the freedom and independence of their nation in the face of a brutal and illegal campaign of invasion.
Over centuries successive generations have fought and struggled to keep alight the fire of a free and independent Ukraine in some of the darkest moments of world history. Today we celebrate the legacy of Ukraine's heroes. I know Ukrainians around the world, including in Australia, will draw inspiration and resolve from those past generations as they continue to embark on their own struggle to live free.
While our two nations are oceans apart, we are bound close by the shared destiny that unites all free and democratic peoples. Australians know that Ukrainians are standing against forces of violent revanchism that threaten all free nations. I continue to stand with Prime Minister Albanese in a united commitment to support all that Australia can do to aid Ukraine and the coalition of nations resisting the war on Ukraine.
Today we declare that the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people cannot be extinguished. Today we celebrate their independence, and today Australians proudly declare, Slava Ukraini!