Thank you madam prime minister for your heartfelt and warm message. God bless you and the people of Australia for the great friendship and gesture you showed to Ethiopia and its people. We hope you will be visiting Ethiopia soon and learn the beautiful history and culture of one of the most fascinating countries in the world.

Full transcript of the prime minster's speech is below the video. 

Friends, it is very great privilege to be able to share another New Year message with you as Prime Minster.

I know this is usually a time of joy and celebration, but with the recent passing of Ethiopia’s Prime Minster [HE Meles Zenawi] and the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church [His Holiness Abune Paulos], it is a time of sadness as well.

In few days time you mark the New Year and mourn those losses with all the beauty of Ethiopian culture and tradition.

That is a sign of the diversity that makes us so strong as a nation, and such a beacon of tolerance and understanding to the rest of the world. But our multicultural success is no accident. As all of you know in your own lives our success comes only with effort and application.

Sending your kids to school; working hard every day, opening businesses, learning English, and finding ways to share in the life of the wider Australian community. I know all of you strive to do these things every day, and I am very proud of every one of you.

The Ethiopian community is small in numbers but you have a very big heart, you share a deep love for our country, and a real belief in its future. And I understand because of that, that you know the true meaning of what it is to be Australian.

So, on behalf of the whole nation I offer my sincere condolences to the Ethiopian community for their grievous loss. And I hope the year ahead brings happiness, good health and prosperity to you and your families.