Time to Harmonise: “Celebrate Modern Australia”

Welcome, Huānyíng, Willkommen and Bienvenido to Harmony Week!

Key points:

All schools and communities across QLD are celebrating the melting pot of multiculturalism that is Australia.

“Harmony Week is a celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds,” read a Department of Home Affairs statement.

“It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.”

What is Harmony Week?

Kick-started under the Howard Government in 1999, Harmony Day is celebrated annually on 21 March in Australia.

It coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

“In 2026, more than half of Australian residents are migrants or the children of migrants,” said Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Sam Mostyn.

“And in 2025, we marked the arrival of our 1 millionth refugee.

“All the people and communities who have shaped who we are as Australians, have added immeasurably to the richness, diversity and unity of our peace-loving, modern nation.”

As Governor-General, Ms Mostyn said she visited communities all across the country throughout the year.

“Spending time with them, listening to people share their stories is an opportunity to celebrate modern Australia as it grows, changes and continues to build our strength through harmony and diversity,” she said.

“I’ve also spent time with the Jewish community in the months since that horrific antisemitic attack at Bondi.

“Together, sometimes in synagogues and sometimes at community gatherings, we mourned and honoured those who were lost and committed to ensuring that such violent hatred be rejected across the country.”

An important time

There is no better advocate for Harmony Day than Rohingya refugee Noor Azizah.

Escaping genocide as a child from Myanmar, Ms Azizah arrived in Sydney in 2003. She is a co-founder of the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network, has addressed the UN and influenced refugee policy.

The 30 year old was awarded  NSW Young Woman of the Year in 2024.

“I feel extremely grateful,” she said at the time.

For Ms Azizah, Harmony Week is “an important time” for all Australians.

“It is a time where we come together and celebrate each other’s differences,” she said.

“It is a particularly special time for me during the year because I get to share and embrace my own culture.”

“Harmony Week allows space for sharing and also learning from other communities.”

Preserving culture

Despite being forced to flee her country, Ms Azizah has preserved her precious culture “through language, food, traditional customs, clothing and traditional celebrations,” she said.

“This preservation of culture is common among many Indigenous communities all over the world. I am proud to call myself a Rohingya woman.”

Harmony Week “is a time where we celebrate and unite together as one,” said Ms Azizah.

“Every single person is included, and this is the beauty of Harmony Week.”

For more, visit here.

Feature image: Canva Pro