TRANSCRIPT:
In January 1999, a group of names was added to a wall at the National Maritime Museum of Australia by the Governor General Sir William Deane.
The wall was the newly established National Monument to Migration - also known as the Welcome Wall - which commemorates those who have migrated from countries around the world to make Australia their new home.
"It enables us to acknowledge a debt and to say thank you."
The Welcome Wall is designed to face Pyrmont Bay, which is historically a place where many migrants first arrived in Sydney, at the city's reserve passenger terminals.
National Maritime Museum Chair Hieu Van Le says many of the migrants had come from terrible circumstances.
"They came from war, from poverty, from fear, from hardship, but also from love. Love for their children, love for their family, and the dream of giving them a safer, brighter future."
Now, hundreds more names have been added to the Welcome Wall.
Petra Taok from SBS Arabic was the MC for the official ceremony.
"We are adding 113 inscriptions to the National Monument to Migration of people who represent 56 countries."
This couple are among those new additions.
MAN: "I've walked here several times, and I've often said to my wife we should put our names there. At least our grandkids will remember. And I'm so happy it's there now. Our son organised it."
WOMAN: "Our son surprised us."
The new names are included on two panels, one of which is focused on the Vietnamese community.
Tammy Nguyen is from the Vietnamese Museum Australia.
"I came to Australian in 1982 as a Vietnamese refugee, so we just wanted to honour our family's history."
Hieu Van Le says these names are not just entries on a surface.
"They are stories. They are memories. They are legacies. Migration - its hardship and its hope - is at the heart of its very special significance. It marks 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War, a conflict that reshaped millions of lives, including mine."
The Museum director Ms Daryl Karp says m igration and how it has shaped Australia is one of the museum's core pillars and the National Monument to Migration forms an integral part of its activity in this space.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke say not everyone agrees that immigration has been a good thing for Australia.
"We're at a particular moment in Australian commentary at the moment, right now. Not long ago on the other side of Sydney, there is a very different gathering of people with a very different view of immigration."
But the Minister says migration is always going to be at the heart of what Australia is.
"Modern Australia and multicultural Australia are exactly the same thing. And part of loving Australia is loving who we are. Your story is intrinsically part of Australia's story and it deserves to be officially honoured the way it is today."
The Museum is now accepting names for the next panel on the Monument, with registrations open until the 22nd of December 2025 for the next unveiling ceremony.
This man says he has no regrets about taking that step.
"To have our name on the wall and to remind us of our presence over here, and together with our journey from our country to this country, and it is so beautiful. And we are so grateful to have our name on the wall."
