Canberra's diplomatic corps and ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury joined guests and the families of those who escaped the atrocities of World War Two on Friday morning.

Austria introduced a citizenship amendment in 2020 to allow descendants of Austrian victims of National Socialism to regain nationality.

So far 327 Australians have been granted Austrian citizenship, ambassador to Australia Wolfgang Strohmayer confirmed.

Mr Strohmayer, joined by Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon, spoke of the world's responsibility to learn from lessons of the past and to stand up against intolerance and racism.

"This ceremony also reminds us, of course, of our individual responsibility, namely to speak up against intolerance, anti-Semitism and all forms of racism," he said.

"It's our duty to not only address this jointly, but also as individuals wherever, and whenever, is necessary."

Two ancestors of Austrians who had escaped the central European country in the lead-up to the world war - and have since been awarded citizenship - were in attendance.

Anna Burger and Edan Schonberger said their older relatives had mixed feelings about the past but both stressed the significance of the historical connection to descendants.

"That connection with our ancestry, and with the realities of what happened to them, is very important," Anna said.

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Edan recalled visits to Austria where he would see remnants of his ancestors' silverware products in heritage shops.

"It's bittersweet," Edan said.

"It's a reminder of what happened, and what could have been, given the fact that I do have Austrian heritage.

"But it's also a reminder of the life we've built up again here [in Australia] ... it's the history, I guess, but it's not the present."

Once the olive tree was planted, Mr Strohmayer spoke to the victims' families about the weight on his shoulders, and on many Austrians of his generation.

He recalled his mother, who lived in Upper Austria and was less than 10 years old when the war broke out, telling stories of seeing people from Mauthausen - a Nazi concentration camp near the German and Czech Republic border.

"There is no point in asking for forgiveness when you can't forgive because what happened is unforgivable," Mr Strohmayer said.

"You can try to get reconciliation, to talk to each other, to work together to prevent that from happening again."

Mr Maimon said these events, like planting a symbolic olive tree, were apart of the remediation process and brought communities back together.

"These are the bridges that bring people together," Mr Maimon said.

"These are the bridges that are all about love, and about tolerance."