A man credited with saving the lives of tens-of-thousands of Jews during the Second World War has been granted honorary Australian citizenship.
The late Swedish diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg, was recognised for his actions in Hungary, when it was under Nazi German occupation.
Aileen Phillips reports.
History was made, when Raoul Wallenberg become the first person to become an honorary Australian.
Mr Wallenberg saved Jews from death at the hands of Nazi Germans by issuing them with protective passports and giving them shelter in buildings which he declared to have diplomatic status.
Speaking at the citizenship ceremony in Canberra, Governor General Quentin Bryce says his courage in the face of adversity must be remembered and recognised.
"Within this dark abyss of sadness and despair there were flickers of light, acts of bravery and humanity by those who were not indifferent, acts of righteous and courageous people. No actions shone brighter or reflected better on the qualities of humanity than those of Raoul Wallenberg."
Born in Sweden in 1912, Mr Wallenberg served in Sweden's special envoy in Budapest from mid-1944, where he faced life under Adolph Hitler's so-called Final Solution.
He repeatedly put his own life at risk, as he went about trying to save as many Jews as possible.
Mr Wallenberg was able to issue protective passports and provide shelter for up to 100-thousand people whose lives were in danger.
Among his life-saving acts, he rented buildings and re-named them "The Swedish Library" or "The Swedish Research Institute", which in reality were safe-havens for those he rescued.
Mr Wallenberg has already been granted honorary citizenship of the United States, Canada, Hungary and Israel.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says it's time Australia joins the rest of the world in recognising this man, who despite never having been to Australia, contributed so much to this country.
"His legacy ensures. It is measured in the example he sets for our own and future generations. But it is also measured in the tens of thousands of deaths he prevented through his actions. Some of the individuals he redeemed became part of our first great transforming wave of post-war immigration, among the first to pledge themselves to their new home, after Australian nationality was formalised in 1949."
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott put politics aside and joined the Prime Minister in praising the man who he says did not look the other way, like millions of people did.
"He now belongs to everyone. To Jews, to whom he was one righteous among nations. To Christians to whom he might be seen as the ultimate good samaritan. To all people of good will who accept the golden rule to do to others as you would have them do to you but often lack the courage to live by it. It is a privilege to support this act of citizenship."
Frank Vajda was just nine years old when he and his family were reported to authorities in Budapest for not wearing their yellow star.
While the soldiers debated their fate, a group dressed in civilian clothing appeared.
Raoul Wallenberg and his escort managed to secure the Vajda family's safe release.
Now a Professor of Medicine at Melbourne University, Frank Vajda says honorary Australian citizenship is a fitting tribute to what he calls probably the most significant hero of the Holocaust.
"If you offered me a million dollars, or the honour of having Raoul Wallenberg achieve honorary citizenship in my beloved adopted country, I would take the latter. I think this is a fantastic, great recognition of the heroism of a selfless humanitarian who risked his own life, and eventually gave his own life, to save people he didn't even know."
Mr Wallenberg's ultimate fate is a mystery.
He disappeared after being arrested by Soviet military police in Budapest in 1945, apparently under suspicion of being a spy.
He was reported to have died after being sent to a Soviet prison camp, but this was never confirmed.
