Protests planned amid calls for unity on Australia Day
Police and political leaders are pleading for calm to prevail on Australia Day after a summer of simmering social tensions.
All major capital cities across the country will host Invasion Day protests on Monday, with tens of thousands of people expected to attend in Sydney and Melbourne.
March for Australia rallies were held in Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Hobart.
Police in NSW, Victoria and Queensland have vowed to crack down on troublemakers.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Brett McFadden has warned the force will strike a “strong tone” following the December 14 Bondi Beach terror attack and other allegations of hate crimes.
About 1,500 officers will descend on metropolitan Sydney to watch the competing events.
“Anyone who comes to Australia Day tomorrow for any anti-social, threatening, intimidating behavior will be arrested, charged and removed from the environment,” Mr McFadden said.
Temperatures are expected to rise to 45°C in Adelaide and 37°C in Brisbane, but will not reach these highs in Canberra (32°C), Melbourne (30°C), Sydney (27°C), Hobart (24°C) and Perth (23°C).
Although Victoria Police has no intelligence of an increased risk of violence, frontline officers will wear helmets as an extra layer of protection following a trial in late 2025.
“Victoria Police will not tolerate anyone who intends to cause unruly, anti-social behaviour,” he said.
Motorists have been warned against permanent road closures in Brisbane but Queensland police expect protests in the city to be peaceful.
January 26 is a day of mourning for many Indigenous peoples and marks the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia in 1788 and the beginning of British colonization.
But recent polls show growing support for keeping Australia’s national day on January 26.
The Resolve Political Monitor put support for the current date at 68 percent, up from 56 percent in January 2024 and 47 percent in January 2023.
A poll by Roy Morgan showed support could be even higher, at 72 percent.
Local councils will hold citizenship ceremonies and hand out awards, away from the politics of the day.
Ahmed Al Ahmed, who is known to have disarmed one of the alleged Bondi attackers before he was shot, will be honored with the key to the City of Canterbury Bankstown in Sydney’s south-west.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for unity in a video message wishing people “Happy Australia Day”.
“Although this summer has tested our nation once again in the worst of times as ever, we have seen the best of the Australian character,” he said.
“While we are inspired by this truth, let us look forward to the coming year with pride in our country and faith in each other.”
Opposition leader Sussan Ley, who immigrated to Australia with her family when she was 13, has vowed to continue fighting for and protecting national symbols.
“This year especially, Australians deserve leadership that lifts us up, not voices that seek to divide us,” he said at Sunday night’s Australia Day ceremony in Corowa, known as the birthplace of the federation.
“We should be proud of our country, confident in our values, and united to celebrate the things that bring us together rather than the things that divide us.”
