Australian Citizenship Day
Australian Citizenship Day is celebrated every year on 17 September. It is overseen by the Department of Home Affairs. The day gives all Australians a chance to think about what citizenship means, what unites us, and to celebrate democracy and the important role citizens play.
The day was started in 2001 after recommendations from the Australian Citizenship Council (established in 1998) and a 1999 proposal from the National Schools Constitutional Convention to create a citizenship day.
17 September was chosen because it marks the 1973 renaming of the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 to the Australian Citizenship Act 1948.
The first celebration was in 2001, the year of Federation’s centenary. Since then, ceremonies and events are held across the country, with local councils encouraged to run citizenship or affirmation ceremonies around this day. Thousands of people become Australian citizens each year at these ceremonies. Schools, community groups, and organisations also run activities, such as assemblies where students talk about what being Australian means or partnerships with local councils to host citizenship ceremonies.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:14 (CET).