She was speaking at the Opera House just after Prime Minister Scott Morrison led members of the public in Canberra in reciting the pledge that all new citizens are required to make.

The pledge reads: "I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey."

Ms Plibersek, Labor's education spokeswoman, said she had always loved the pledge, which was "an elegant expression of what it takes to be a good citizen - of the rights we hold and the responsibilities we owe".

She also extolled patriotism, saying patriotism was not about who did or did not count as Australian.

"Patriotism, like mateship, is about solidarity. It's about what we owe each other as citizens ... Patriots don't need to feel superior to feel proud. You can be a progressive and love your country: I certainly do."

But Ms Plibersek's call was greeted with howls on social media, where people lambasted her timing given the anger many people feel over Australia Day, and rejected the suggestion that children should be made to recite a loyalty pledge.

She claimed nothing unremarkable in her words, pointing out that she has been making the call for many years.

Author Jane Caro, who wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday that the best Australians are not the quiet ones but the noisy ones, said she hoped her children would be decent, kind and compassionate rather than aligning themselves with "spurious geography".