I acknowledge that we are on Gadigal land and pay my respects to elders past and present.
I also acknowledge and thank President of the NSW Legislative Council the Hon Ben Franklin MLC, and all others who made today's event possible.
And to His Excellency Ambassador Myroshnychenko for his attendance tonight.
And of course to Ms Kateryna Argyrou, who we are celebrating tonight as the newly appointed Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Sydney.
On behalf of the Australian Government, I would like to congratulate you, Ms Argyrou, on your appointment.
As the chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, you have been a tireless advocate for Ukraine and for the Ukrainian diaspora here in Australia.
More than three years ago, Russia underestimated the bravery and determination of the Ukrainian people, its soldiers, and its leaders.
We recognise the hardships the Ukrainian people have endured, and we acknowledge the anguish the Ukrainian diaspora experience here in Australia, thousands of kilometres away.
Your passion for Ukraine and the Ukrainian community here in Australia, makes you a strong advocate and representative.
And we share your steadfast support for Ukraine.
Australia and Ukraine may be on opposite sides of the globe, but we stand united. We stand united in upholding democratic values, the rule of law, and respect for sovereignty.
In demonstration of our strong support for Ukraine, Australia has provided more than $1.5 billion in support of Ukraine since Russia's illegal and immoral invasion, including $1.3 billion in military support.
We are proud to be the largest non-NATO contributor of military assistance to help Ukraine defend itself.
In recent months, we deployed a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to support humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine.
We continue to support the ongoing training of Ukrainian troops through Operation KUDU, and delivered the majority of the M1A1 Abrams tanks, with more to follow.
Last year, as part of my previous role as Assistant Minister for Defence, I had the pleasure of farewelling 90 ADF personnel from the Defence Base in Adelaide as they departed for the UK.
To date, the ADF has trained over 2,900 Ukrainian personnel across ten rotations, with the eleventh currently underway.
Including training the next generation of young leaders in the Ukrainian military.
I am sure everyone in this room would join me in thanking them for the service.
Australia has also provided important humanitarian, energy and economic support to Ukraine.
And we are continuing work to hold Russia to account for its invasion.
We have also imposed more than 1,600 targeted sanctions on Russia and its supporters.
Australians also expect businesses to do their part to prevent their supply chains from inadvertently funding Russia's illegal war machine, and our Government has made that point direct to industry.
Australia stands with the people of Ukraine as you defend your freedoms. Your democracy. Your independence.
The ties between Australia and Ukraine have only grown stronger since Russia's full-scale invasion and we look forward to working with you, Ms Argyrou, to further deepen these ties.
Congratulations, again on your appointment. And to all Ukrainians, to those in Ukraine, to those here in Australia, and to those across the world, we stand with you.
Slava Ukraini.