Australia's governor-general has hailed the benefits of diversity while warning of the risks to democracy of a dwindling understanding of civics in society.
Sam Mostyn reflected on Friday on what she had seen, heard and learned in her first 12 months as the nation's "modern" representative of the monarchy.
Ms Mostyn said her day-one focus was to bring care, kindness and respect to the job.
"(I'm) always seeking, as I promised at my swearing-in, to visit places often overlooked and to pay attention to Australians who have so much to teach us and are often not listened to," she said while delivering the Anna McPhee Memorial Oration, hosted by Diversity Council Australia.
Since her appointment, Ms Mostyn has toured 25 regions in every state and territory, made 14 visits to defence force bases and big exercises, held seven Australian citizenship ceremonies and travelled to seven nations to celebrate significant diplomatic anniversaries.
She is patron of almost 200 organisations, has welcomed more than 400 school groups to Government House in Canberra and hosted more than 140 events at the venue and Admiralty House in Sydney.
Ms Mostyn said she had witnessed a "panoramic view" of the nation while simultaneously experiencing the fine grain of every community she visited, where everyday Australians confided in her their hopes and private stories.
"I get to see the stories about diversity in a way that often we don't pay attention to," she said.
At a time of conflict and disunity around the world, Ms Mostyn said there was a "titanium strength" which diversity could bring to build a brighter future at home and in the region with Australia as a middle power.
Whether it be migrants or their children and grandchildren telling her to refer to them as just Australian, to the hundreds of Sikh youth on their annual camp who chant 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie' the same week the Australian cricket team played India, or Duanwu, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated at an AFL match, she said diverse communities were aligning themselves with our robust democratic institutions and freedoms.
But she warns of the 'parlous" state where less than 24 per cent of year 12 students - and even fewer adults - understand civics and institutions.
"We see the consequences in other nations when they falter ... When citizens cease to care about their civics or institutions, democracy is at risk," Ms Mostyn said.
She said this was why, as a "modern" governor-general, she looked to involve herself in Instagram and Facebook, taking selfies and wearing sneakers in a bid attract attention and lift the veil of an institution that, for so many Australians, was opaque or viewed as secret.
"If we find it easy to criticise or ignore what is not well understood, then part of the solution has to be communication and transparency, being open, sharing stories, and inviting everybody in," she said.
