What we learned today, Friday 26 January
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines from today:
Invasion Day protesters have braved heatwave conditions as rally speakers condemned incarceration rates and expressed solidarity with Palestine.
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily has weakened to a tropical low after crossing the far north Queensland coast but damaging wind and intense rainfall is forecast for the coming days.
Australians of the Year Richard Scolyer and Georgina Long are credited with saving the lives of thousands of Australians with skin cancer. But Scolyer has used his moment in the spotlight to talk about his diagnosis with brain cancer.
Anthony Albanese has ridiculed Peter Dutton’s call for an early election on the stage-three tax cuts, while has Dutton dodged committing to a firm position on the changes.
A teenage girl has died in hospital after being pulled from the water following a boating accident in southern Sydney.
And in Victoria, Amelia was the most popular name for girls in 2023, with Oliver retaining the crown for boys for the tenth year in a row.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us – have a great Friday evening.
Updated
Police stop group of men wearing balaclavas on Sydney train
A group of men wearing balaclavas have been stopped in a Sydney train station.
A witness who was on the train and spoke to Guardian Australia said the train was diverted to North Sydney, and people onboard were told it was going to be terminated due to a police operation.
“The police were waiting for the train at North Sydney. The police were obviously there waiting for them, and for at least two hours talking to them.”
After two hours, the man was returning home and saw police were still with the men on the train.
“When I came back home about two hours [later], I noticed the train still sitting there with those passengers still on the train … You could see them on the platform interviewing them.”
The group of about 40 hooded men were seen at Artarmon station just before midday on Friday.
After boarding a train, the group was stopped at North Sydney station by more than 20 police officers.
Passengers not involved with the group had been evacuated, a spokesperson for Transport for NSW said.
As of 4pm a police operation was still under way.
“The men are being taken off the train, but slowly,” a police spokesperson told AAP.
The train was due to begin moving shortly, the Transport for NSW spokesperson added.
– With AAP
Updated
‘It’s about disruption’: Invasion Day protesters march to the Gabba
The Queensland University of Technology academic Amy McQuire, who spoke at the Invasion Day protest in Brisbane/Meanjin, said protesters marched up to the Gabba.
“A lot of the protesters went straight to the barricades, which were pulled down,” she told Guardian Australia.
“We’re obviously all in on the fact that … always was, always will be, Aboriginal land. This is Invasion Day. Free Palestine, Free Gaza, and just making it known what the reason for this day is, that this isn’t the day to celebrate.”
McQuire added: “It’s unbelievable that on a day that signifies invasion, that you could have something like an Australia Day Test.
“So it’s very much confronting the forced amnesia that this day represents where they want us to be quiet about what is currently happening in this country, and they want to keep celebrating on our graves effectively. So it’s about disruption.”
Updated
The southerly that moved through Sydney early this afternoon saw temperatures at Sydney airport drop 11C in the space of five minutes.
Observations at the airport at 1.55pm recorded a temperature of 40.1C. At 2pm that had fallen to 29.7C.
The southerly will reach areas including the Hunter and Central Coast in coming hours.
The Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said:
We’re seeing that change push through, which is going to bring some welcome relief.
That change is expected to bring showers and potential storms to the northern ranges and slopes and north coast on Saturday and Sunday with a risk of severe storms throughout the weekend.
Temperatures in much of the state are forecast to be slightly cooler than they have been for a few days before creeping up again during the week.
Updated
Southerly change brings relief to Sydney after temperatures reach high 30s
Temperatures in most parts of Sydney reached the high 30s today before the arrival of a southerly change that will bring relief from the heat over the next few days.
The highest temperature was 40.6C recorded at Sydney airport just before 2pm. In western Sydney, temperatures climbed to 39.8C at Bankstown, 39.5C in Canterbury, 39.9C in Camden and 39.3 at Sydney Olympic Park.
Elsewhere in the state, temperatures reached the high 30s on the Central Coast, 42.2C at Williamtown in the Hunter and 40.4C in Scone.
Temperatures in northern inland NSW won’t peak until later this afternoon but have reached 42C in Bourke, 43.2 in Brewon and 43.9 at Girilambone.
Updated
Teenage girl dies after boat collision
A teenage girl has died in hospital after being pulled from the water following a boating accident in southern Sydney, AAP has reported.
The 16-year-old was taken to hospital after two boats collided at Grays Point in a horror start to the Australia Day long weekend.
Emergency services were called to the Grays Point boat ramp shortly after 10.15am on Friday when they found two tinnies had collided, NSW police said in a statement.
Paramedics treated the girl at the scene before she was taken to St George hospital in a critical condition, where she later died.
Two teenage boys, both 16, were also taken to St George hospital for mandatory testing.
Police marine area command is investigating the incident.
Updated
Monument to British explorer defaced in Tamworth
From Tom Plevey in Tamworth.
Oxley’s Anchor, which marks the British explorer John Oxley’s route through the region in 1818, was sprayed with red paint and the word “invasion” was painted down both sides of the shank. The person responsible has not been identified.
Gomeroi man Marc Sutherland, Tamworth regional council’s first Indigenous councillor, said it appeared to have been done as an expression of discontent at Australia Day:
For me, I think it’s a clear sign of frustration, within the community, who’ve been strongly advocating that the 26th is not an appropriate day to hold a national celebration.
I think that the monument acknowledges Oxley ‘discovering’ this region in NSW – that’s not true, because Gomeroi people have been living in this region for thousands of years prior to the arrival of Oxley.
I take it as a public action, a public protest trying to air that opinion.
Tamworth is currently holding the country music festival, with a large number of tourists in the regional city.
Updated
Police operation at North Sydney station
A police operation is under way at North Sydney station.
The operation started at 11.30am, with no reports of injuries.
Buses are diverting away from the station by using the Pacific Highway instead, missing some stops.
NSW police say the situation is contained and there is no threat to public.
More to come.
Updated
Protest forces Gabba lockdown ahead of Australia-West Indies Test
The Gabba had been placed in lockdown ahead of day two of the Test between Australia and West Indies after protesters entered the Brisbane cricket venue, AAP has reported.
Groups carrying Palestinian and Aboriginal flags had gathered outside the stadium on Friday, with police making at least two arrests about 90 minutes before day two was scheduled to begin.
Queuing patrons were stopped from entering, with staff informing them the stadium had been placed in lockdown.
Extra police were stationed outside the Gabba, while the players arrived earlier than normal to avoid the possibility of disruptions.
Play was no longer affected.
Updated
Rally hears criticism of Queensland for voting against the voice
The academic Chelsea Watego criticised Queensland for being the most adamantly against the voice to parliament referendum.
Some 68.2% of Queenslanders voted no.
“Prime minister Albanese said on October 14, the Australian people have spoken,” she said.
“You hear what they said? We don’t deserve shit. Not even an advisory body. We got to listen to that. And here in the state of Queensland, the voice in the violence was particularly loud. This place had the highest no vote in the country. But apparently it’s on track to a treaty.”
Most of the thousands of protesters set off on the traditional march route across the river to Musgrave Park, a gathering point since before white settlement.
But a smaller group of a few hundred protesters set off in the opposite direction, aiming to picket the Gabba.
Australia plays the West Indies in the Australia Day Test today.
Wayne Wharton exhorted the crowd to protest the “bullshit test” which he said was design to “insult our people on this day” and to “burn down the house”.
“We go there, we make the noise, we shut them down and we make them listen,” he said.
Updated
Steamy hot Brisbane rally draws huge crowd
It was steamy hot at Brisbane’s rally. The crowd was so large, it spilled out of Queens Gardens, with thousands of protesters and signs reading everything from “not a date to celebrate” to “no justice no peace”.
The journalist and academic Amy McQuire spoke against what she called a policy of forced “amnesia”.
She said Queensland had among the country’s highest rates of imprisonment for young Indigenous people. Other speakers criticised the state Labor government for overriding the Queensland Human Rights Act to allow young people to be held in adult jails.
“They don’t want us to connect the dots to what is currently happening over in Palestine. This Invasion Day here is our Nakba,” she said.
“Seventy-five years ago, Palestinians, Indigenous peoples to that area, were forcibly displaced, murdered and massacred. And they want us to forget that.”
Updated
ACCC vows to ‘forensically’ examine supermarket prices
The consumer watchdog has vowed it will “forensically” examine possible price gouging at the checkout as part of an inquiry into the supermarket industry, AAP has reported.
Appearing on Sky News today, the ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said the industry had rapidly changed since the last inquiry into the sector in 2008:
The focus will be on the extent to which there’s competition between supermarkets and the margins that are gained on the way through the supply chains.
This will give us the opportunity to quite forensically look at those pieces of information and get to the bottom of what is going on there.
He also said the duopoly of Coles and Woolworths would be a significant focus.
Updated
NSW is set to be hit by a cool change, the BoM has said:
A cooler, southerly wind change is currently moving northwards through #NSW.
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 26, 2024
Temperatures will drop by 10-15C in many locations this afternoon.
Latest: https://t.co/S4dyP1u5bA pic.twitter.com/LdfohZTuSv
Updated
Hill is asked about some residents not receiving emergency messages:
Telstra, Optus and NBN have advised with a prolonged power outage we are losing communications in some of our mobile towers. They are trying to ensure they get fuel to the generators.
Some of the towers, the batteries are now starting to lose all their charge and the network is dropping out.
And I think, and I want to say this clearly, while we might have an advanced technology, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s resilient technology when we have these natural disasters.
I really think this is a learning that particularly at a state and federal level they need to look at. Getting communications to our community is vitally important if we are going to protect them.
Updated
Hill is asking the community to “be patient” while Ergon sorts out the power.
What Ergon has to do is it has to make safe the area so their staff can complete.
I am asking the community just to be patient on this.
We have critical infrastructure, particularly around our water services, we need Ergon to connect.
We have critical infrastructure for both public and private hospitals that Ergon need to ensure it is safe.
So they really need to be looked at first and, on top of that, Ergon is still continuing to try to ensure it puts on as many residential customers as possible.
Updated
More than 9,000 without power after cyclone, Townsville mayor says
The mayor of Townsville, Jenny Hill, is speaking now:
The real issue now is the power network. We know that and we’ve seen some of the footage of some stations that for some reason failed during the event. As well as we know that some services dropped out because of debris, transformer hit by debris.
Ergon is working very hard to connect more than 1,000 people in the Townsville area and 8,000 customers in the Burdekin. There are other areas that have had power outages but by and large it is the Townsville area.
Updated
Townsville airport to reopen but thousands remain offline after cyclone
Townsville airport will reopen from about 3pm on Friday while local shops and cafes have also begun to open doors after Cyclone Kirrily.
SeaLink will operate two return services to and from Magnetic Island on Friday afternoon on a reduced timetable.
NBN Australia said 9,000 services remained offline across the country, the majority related to power outages in Townsville.
Temporary wifi and charging stations will be available all day for residents at the Ayr council chambers.
Updated
‘Thank you for joining our family’: thousands take citizenship pledge
From all corners of the world, Australia has welcomed thousands of its newest citizens in ceremonies across the nation, AAP has reported.
More than 22,000 people from more than 150 countries took the citizenship pledge on Australia Day.
In the 75 years since Australian citizenship was introduced, more than 6 million people have taken the pledge.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Australia was richer for having more people choose to call it home:
On behalf of all your fellow Australians, thank you for joining our family, for adding yourselves to the picture, and for showing the depth of your commitment to our country, to your country.
Updated
Albanese ridicules Dutton's early election call
Anthony Albanese has ridiculed Peter Dutton’s calls for an early election on the stage-three tax cuts, saying an election cannot legally be held before the changes kick in on 1 July.
Dutton slammed Albanese’s tax cuts backflip yesterday, claiming the proposal should be taken to an election. While millions of middle- and lower-income Australians will get a larger tax cut under the Labor plan than the Coalition-legislated arrangements, the opposition has savaged the government after Albanese’s previous promises to not amend the plan.
Asked at the Australia Day ceremony in Canberra whether he would follow Dutton’s calls, Albanese said:
For Peter Dutton, who said that he cared about the constitution last year, the earliest date for an election, a normal election, is August of 2024.
The earliest election is August 2024. So you work it out. The tax cuts will take place on July 1.
Peter Dutton will always go for the politics. This is about people, not politics.
Albanese flipped the onus back on to Dutton, claiming the Coalition had not proposed any sensible changes of their own to battle cost-of-living pressures.
The question for Peter Dutton or anyone else is what measures had they put forward to assist low- and middle-income earners? Because they opposed cheaper medicines. They opposed the measures, including ridiculed the importance of fee-free Tafe, cheaper childcare.
When the energy price relief plan came on, there were some interesting publications at that time as well. Guess what? It worked. It lowered inflation, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Reserve Bank, Treasury.
Updated
Dutton dodges committing to a firm position on stage-three tax cuts
Peter Dutton has again dodged committing to a firm position on the stage-three tax cut changes, avoiding questions about whether the Coalition will support or oppose higher tax cuts for millions of Australians.
Speaking on the Today show this morning, Dutton would not say what his party would do when legislation to change the tax cuts – which would give larger tax refunds to more than 80% of taxpayers – came to parliament.
He told Channel Nine:
Well, we want to understand the black hole and understand the costings, which we’re doing right now. Then we’ll make our announcement.
But we went to the election with a promise to the Australian people on stage-three tax cuts. We don’t break our promise in a way that the prime minister has. We don’t desert Australians who we have promised an outcome.
Dutton continued with his attack on Anthony Albanese’s trust factor, claiming: “I just think most Australians don’t want a prime minister who looks them in the eye, tells them one thing, and then does completely the opposite.”
Labor’s Bill Shorten also appeared on the show, and was asked about Dutton’s outlandish claims that Albanese’s leadership was now in question. He responded:
No, not at all.
This is about helping everyday Australians with their cost of living, middle Australia.
For all of last year you guys all said ‘Labor’s got to do more on cost of living’, now we’re doing it and everyone’s crying. I don’t know.
(On the claims about Albanese’s leadership, we’re told the Labor caucus unanimously backed the tax cut plan in their meeting on Wednesday. While some MPs did raise concerns in the meeting about the allegations of broken promises, many MPs are very happy with the changes and have already been loudly backing the new plan.)
Updated
We have some pictures here of the destruction wrought by Cyclone Kirrily.
A cyclone watch zone has been issued for large parts of north Queensland after Tropical Cyclone Kirrily made landfall near Townsville on Thursday. The cyclone was downgraded after it crossed the coast, but still left behind significant flooding.
Updated
BoM reissues severe weather warning for parts of Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology has reissued a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding in parts of Queensland’s Northern Goldfields, Upper Flinders and south-eastern Gulf Country districts.
Intense rainfall will stretch further inland towards the north-western Central West and eastern North West districts overnight and into Saturday, according to the BoM.
Dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding could occur from Saturday morning for areas between Winton, Richmond and Cloncurry. This may result in 24-hourly rainfall totals of 180mm.
Wind gusts of around 90km/h are also forecast within the warning area.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is currently positioned near the southern Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders district, according to the BoM.
The system is forecast to move in a south-westerly direction across Queensland’s northern interior before tracking west towards the Northern Territory border on Saturday.
A flood watch remains in place for coastal and inland catchments between Tully and Airlie Beach, and areas of the Central West and Gulf catchments.
Updated
Melbourne rally hears deaths in custody plea from Tanya Day’s daughter
Apryl Day has addressed the crowd in Melbourne about Indigenous deaths in custody.
Her mother, Tanya Day, died from an injury sustained in a police cell after she was arrested for being drunk on a train, under a law the royal commission recommended be appealed 30 years ago.
The Victorian government finally agreed to repeal the law in 2019, two years after the Yorta Yorta woman’s death, following the sustained activism of her children.
Apryl, like many speakers in Melbourne today, has linked her family’s struggle to the Palestinian cause:
My family was successful in the decriminalisation of public drunkenness.
I think it’s really important to note solidarity within our communities.
The Palestinian community were with us from the beginning to the end of mum’s inquest and we need to continue to do that for them, and stand with Palestine today.
Updated
Thousands turn up to Hobart rally
Rally attendees in Hobart are currently walking down Elizabeth Street, towards the city’s waterfront.
Jess Grace-Conroy attended the rally with her husband, Danny, and their toddler, Daisy.
“We walk this year and every year, because it’s really important to us that Daisy knows the true history of this country.”
Jess noted the cultural significance of their route.
“We walk down Elizabeth Street in Hobart because it’s symbolic. During the Black War, 25 Palawa leaders marched down Elizabeth Street to negotiate their freedom with colonisers. But they were misled, captured, betrayed and exiled to Flinders Island.”
Updated
Eora rally hears plea for action on deaths in custody
Today’s Eora rally has been punctuated by calls to address high Indigenous incarceration rates – including for Labor leaders to meet with the families impacted by deaths in custody.
Paul Silva, the nephew of David Dungay Jr who died in a prison hospital in 2015, made an emotional speech about deaths in custody.
“He had so much planned for his future, but that was taken away from us,” an emotional Silva told the crowd gathered in Belmore Park in Sydney’s CBD.
“As Indigenous people we face racism on a daily basis, but today we can feel the intergenerational trauma.”
You can read more of Guardian Australia’s coverage about Dungay’s story here.
Organised by the Blak Caucus, this year’s Invasion Day rally has called on Australia Day to be abolished, implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and for a ceasefire in Palestine.
The crowd is beginning the march to Victoria Park now.
Updated
Applause at Melbourne rally for destruction of Captain Cook statue
The host of the Invasion Day rally in Victoria has congratulated those who chopped Captain Cook off a statue in St Kilda yesterday, drawing applause from the crowd outside parliament.
“This is massive. I’m really, really proud of our city. I’m really proud of the people who took action yesterday.”
Some protesters here are holding signs noting the destruction with the words “the colony will fall”, which were spraypainted on the plinth that the statue used to stand on.
A poster at the Invasion Day rally in Melbourne, noting the destruction of a Captain Cook statue in St Kilda a few days ago. https://t.co/McD7q8b9aK pic.twitter.com/a5McfHxeXu
— Henry Belot (@Henry_Belot) January 26, 2024
Updated
Shorten challenges Dutton on stage-three tax cuts
The Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten was on the Today show this morning defending the government’s changes to the stage-three tax cuts.
In a colourful exchange with Peter Dutton, who was also appearing on the show and had been criticising Labor’s changes, Shorten challenged the opposition leader to a bet that the Coalition would ultimately support the updated tax policy.
Shorten:
This is purely about providing 13.6 million taxpayers with lower taxes. I’m down at a racetrack and occasionally bets happen at a racetrack. Pete, I’m going to make a $10 bet with you that you will have to back in our lower taxes. Otherwise the Liberal party will be the party of higher taxes for middle Australia. So you know you’re going to have to go with a better idea. I just think cut the pain out, Peter. Just back it in because 13.6 million Aussies who stand to get better than what the Liberals are proposing want to know, will Peter Dutton stand in the way of them getting a tax cut?”
Dutton:
Well, Bill, let’s go double or nothing and bet – let’s go 20 bucks or let’s go $200 if you want, to bet that you’re going to challenge Anthony Albanese by the next election.
Shorten:
Oh mate, do you know what? Do you know why you can go to 200 bucks? Because you’re getting a tax cut under Anthony Albanese.
Updated
Sydney rally to head to Victoria Park
Speeches at the Eora Invasion Day rally have just wrapped up, with the declaration nobody is free until everyone is free, a reminder today is about more than abolishing the date.
At least 1,000 people are among the crowd about to head to Victoria Park, gathering banners and flags.
For now, Belmore Park, where the rally has gathered, is quiet but for the sound of a didgeridoo.
Updated
Townsville residents urged to conserve water as crew work to restore power after storm
Returning briefly to extreme weather.
Outages across Townsville have impacted power supply to four reservoirs and 18 water sites across the city.
Residents have been urged to conserve water as crews work to restore power to critical infrastructure.
The Townsville mayor, Jenny Hill, said “more than half the city was impacted by the power outages from cx-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily and that includes our water infrastructure”.
“We are unsure of the extent of the issue at the moment and as a precaution we are asking the community to conserve water where they can.
“Check around your home for leaks, reuse water where you can, avoid washing down debris and take short showers.”
You can read more here:
Updated
Jews Against the Occupation express solidarity with Palestine at Sydney Invasion Day rally
The Eora Invasion Day rally is a little different this year. Alongside a call for abolishing Australia Day, the rally is urging to “end occupation everywhere” and cut ties with and impose sanctions on Israel.
Jews Against the Occupation are in attendance, having become a strong presence at protests calling for a ceasefire.
Members Laurie Izaks-MacSween and Jepke Goudsmit have been invited to the rally as part of a pro-Palestine contingent.
Izaks-MacSween says what unites the First Nations and Palestinian cause is “colonialism”. “We get a lot of support from Indigenous people ... it’s the same issue, really. They’re the oldest living culture on the planet and there’s so many parallels in the unwillingness by power to address injustice,” Izaks-MacSween says.
Goudsmit says Indigenous Australians, like Palestinians, “want peace”. “Indigenous people are willing to share their knowledge – this knowledge goes back 65,000 years, and they’re willing to share it with us who live on their land. Aboriginal people in my eyes are just amazing, absolutely amazing – a model for the world,” Goudsmit says.
Updated
Palestinian solidarity at forefront of Melbourne Invasion Day rally
Veteran Indigenous rights activist, Gary Foley, told the crowd outside Victoria’s parliament that this year’s Invasion Day protest is also an opportunity to show solidarity with the Palestinian people:
Foley said:
This year is a particularly historic gathering because of what’s going on in another part of the world … we have invited our Palestinian brothers and sisters to be here today as an act in solidarity.
There are many Palestinian flags and protest posters here today, as there has been each weekend for several months now.
Updated
‘There’s still a lot of relearning and unlearning that needs to be done’
Melanie Watkins arrived at the Eora rally with her two children, 10 and six, in tow.
She says today is a day to mourn, not to celebrate.
I brought my kids because it’s important they know the true history of Australia, and hopefully by educating them at a young age they can help bring some change and have a better understanding of our history.
To Watkins, her children’s grasp of the complex legacy of colonialism has improved on her generation – while there’s still a way to go before Australia has reconciled with its past.
They’re being better educated in school – there’s still a lot of relearning and unlearning that needs to be done but compared to when I was their age, they’re getting a better understanding of the true Australian history.”
Updated
January 26 ‘the most divisive date’ of the year, Victoria Invasion Day rally hears
There are many thousand of people on the steps of Victorian parliament for the Invasion Day and the biggest applause so far was reserved for this speech from a young Indigenous leader:
January 26 is not a day of inclusion and unity. It’s the one day of the year that is the most divisive date that represents the beginning of genocide, rape, murder, invasion, theft, massacres and so much more.
It makes me so confused as to why Australia says, ‘lest we forget’ on Anzac Day, but ‘get over it’ on Invasion Day. Both are a day of mourning, but only one is respected.
There’s a big crowd at the Invasion Day rally in Melbourne and applause for a speech shortly after this:
— Henry Belot (@Henry_Belot) January 25, 2024
“It makes me so confused as to why Australia says, ‘lest we forget on ANZAC Day’, but ‘get over it on Invasion Day’. Both are a day of mourning, but only one is respected.” pic.twitter.com/xDjNoYck9w
Updated
Invasion Day rally in Sydney draws hundreds in 36C heat
The Eora Invasion Day rally has drawn hundreds of people despite the 36C heat, with crowds continuing to gather in central Sydney to the calls of “abolish Australia Day” and “always was, always will be”.
Bundjalung woman Lara Lei brought her three-year-old daughter Matai to the protest, who is dressed in red, white and black.
Lei would normally be dancing today at traditional ceremonies but has travelled to Sydney to visit her 101-year-old grandmother.
“We wanted to use this weekend to see her and look after our elders. We’re here to show our children not to hide away on this day and be proud,” Lei said.
Among the crowd are teenagers, elderly and young babies getting cooled by portable fans. Following speeches, crowds will march to Victoria Park where tents and stalls are established.
Updated
Wurundjeri elder Bill Nicholson addresses Invasion Day rally in Melbourne
Wurundjeri elder Bill Nicholson is addressing the Invasion Day rally outside Victorian parliament.
I always get goosebumps at this time of year, standing in front of so many people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, who want to change this date that celebrates genocide, murder and theft.
[We want to] celebrate all the diversity – both Aboriginal diversity and the diversity of basically the world that now resides on Aboriginal land.
Thank you for coming and supporting this. Continue to support it, I encourage you, because people power does work.
Updated
Albanese addresses national citizenship and flag-raising ceremony in Canberra
Anthony Albanese has described Australia Day as “our chance to pause and reflect on everything that we have achieved as a nation” as he addresses the national citizenship and flag-raising ceremony in Canberra.
The prime minister said:
Everything that we have created and built and learned through all the ups and downs of our history, the mighty challenges we have faced, the profound opportunities we have seized the stern test, we have passed together, everything that has made us who we are as a people, everything that has made us who we are as a nation.
And just as Australia Day is about the way, all the different elements of our past add up to what we have in the present. It is also very much about our future, and what we can gain.
Albanese also spoke of “the privilege that we have of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on Earth”.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been here for so long that the very shape of this continent has changed, a period of time that defies imagining what an extraordinary privilege it is, for their culture to be the beginning of our national story, and for their wisdom to be a continuing part of our national life. The enduring foundation about modern, prosperous, peaceful and multicultural democracy.
Updated
Sussan Ley refuses to reveal whether Coalition will support Labor’s stage three changes
Hopping to general news for a moment, and Sussan Ley was tight-lipped in an exchange with the education minister, Jason Clare, as to whether the Coalition would support the stage-three tax cut reforms.
NATALIE BARR:
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) January 25, 2024
Are you, will the Coalition vote against these changes?
SUSSAN LEY:
We'll drill into the detail like I said…[Interrupted]
JASON CLARE:
No you’ve got the detail!
Lulz pic.twitter.com/BBnFbc2wSO
Updated
Australian and Aboriginal flags raised during Canberra ceremony
Following the welcome to country, the flag-raising ceremony has begun, with six flags raised including two Australian flags, two Aboriginal flags and two Torres Strait Islander flags.
The two Australian flags are being carried by the 2023 Australian of the Year finalists, along with emergency service first responders.
This is only the second time that the Aboriginal flag and Torres Strait Islander flags have been part of the ceremony.
Updated
Hughes continues:
Australia is home to the oldest continuous culture on Earth, 65,000 years of uninterrupted heritage, demonstrated by the unique archeological evidence found in the very ground that you may are sitting on, found in the rocks and stones of this very place. That makes this continent unique in the whole world.
Ngunnawal’s view of heritage transcends time, it is our way of being with nature, best expressed in the Ngunnawal language through the concepts of respect and deep honour, coming together in the wellbeing for all.
Please understand the environment you are living in and the impact that you have on nature … this place is the Ngunnawal homelands and it is our ancestors’ spiritual homeland, of which we continue to feel the vibration of today. Together with you, we are keeping the pathways of our ancestors alive. Welcome to Ngunnawal country. Thank you.
Updated
Aunty Carolyn Hughes welcomes new citizens in Canberra
Back in Canberra, Ngunnawal elder Aunty Carolyn Hughes is delivering a Welcome to Country.
On behalf of my Ngunnawal community, some who are actually gathered here today with you, welcome … new citizens from the many lands from around the world, congratulations. You have chosen the best country and the best city in the whole wide world. A true land of opportunities.
This place is Canberra, pronounced in our ancient language Gumburra, meaning meeting place or a place of flowers. To you, new citizens of this great land, I encourage you to reach out and learn more of the First Australians, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have nurtured this environment for over 65,000 years.
Updated
Brett Sutton made Officer of the Order of Australia
More than 1,000 Australians received honours and awards in this year’s list, from firefighters to teachers.
Among them was Victoria’s Brett Sutton, who grew to national acclaim as chief health officer during the pandemic.
If you, like me, were living in Victoria during Covid-19 lockdowns, you will remember Sutton’s face being emblazoned on bedspreads and pillows.
His award was due to his “distinguished service to the people of Victoria through public health administration and governance, and to medicine”.
It follows his award of Victorian of the year last year. Sutton is now head of health and biosecurity at the CSIRO.
Check out some of the honourable mentions here:
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The prime minister has just arrived at the citizenship ceremony alongside his partner, Jodie Haydon, followed by a moving welcome from the ABC’s Dan Bourchier:
Australia Day is a time for us to reflect, respect and celebrate. We reflect on our nation’s past, the enduring history of this land, spanning tens of thousands of years and the ongoing impact of European settlement on Australia’s First Peoples.
We respect the first Australians’ wisdom and profound understanding of land, sea and sky, a deep knowledge that nurtured and safeguarded country and culture for millennia – in fact the oldest continuous culture on Earth.
We celebrate our diversity and the waves of migration that have created a vibrant multicultural society enriching our identity as a nation … we celebrate dialogue over discord, empathy over animosity and cooperation over conflict as we rise above the challenges of the past to create a nation where every individual is valued because we are all part of the story.
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Australian of the Year gives emotionally charged speech about his terminal cancer
Australians of the Year Prof Richard Scolyer and his research partner Prof Georgina Long are credited with saving the lives of thousands of Australians with skin cancer.
But Scolyer used his moment in the national spotlight to talk about his diagnosis with stage-four brain cancer and how it had been a “no-brainer” last year for the pair to use his condition to develop experimental treatments for brain cancer, even though it might shorten his life.
“I love my life, my family, my work. I have so much more to do and to give,” he said.
By undertaking an experimental treatment at the risk of shortening his life, Scolyer has advanced the understanding of brain cancer and is benefiting future patients.
He has generated public interest by publicly documenting his own cancer treatment and progress.
“I’m one of the many thousands of cancer patients who have travelled this path and thousands will follow,” he said.
“I stand here tonight as a terminal brain cancer patient,” Scolyer told the audience in Canberra. “I’m only 57, I don’t want to die.”
Long and Scolyer’s scientific partnership – the pair are co-medical directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia – has led to the use of immunotherapy in the treatment of melanoma. But it was Scolyer’s own 2023 diagnosis that led to groundbreaking discoveries in the life-changing applications of their immunotherapy approach when he and Long developed a series of world-first treatments based on their melanoma work.
“Devising this world-first experimental treatment for my type of brain cancer was bold. For me, the decision to take on Georgina’s groundbreaking plan was a no-brainer. Here was an opportunity for us to crack another incurable cancer and make a difference, if not for me, then for others.
“From where I stand, with the future now measured in months rather than decades, it’s impossible for me to properly articulate how proud and hopeful that this also makes me.”
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Anthony Albanese attends a Welcome to Country
Prior to the citizenship ceremony, Anthony Albanese attended a Welcome to Country from Aunty Loretta, Aunty Roslyn and Uncle Fre.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have cared for this country for over 65,000 yrs.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) January 25, 2024
Their culture and connection to country continue to enrich our nation.
A moving Welcome to Country from Aunty Loretta, Aunty Roslyn and Uncle Fred this morning to start Australia Day. pic.twitter.com/MrHFDZAo8L
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Flag-raising citizenship ceremony under way in Canberra
In Canberra, the national flag-raising citizenship ceremony is getting under way with the band of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, followed by Australia’s Federation Guard.
The prime minister is soon to arrive, along with the governor general, David Hurley.
Today marks the 75th anniversary of Australian citizenship, with ceremonies taking place across the nation.
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AFL clubs Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs call for Australia Day change
AFL clubs Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs have released powerful statements calling for the date of Australia Day to change, Australian Associated Press reports.
It comes just days after Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins, then star batter Steve Smith, both voiced their push for a rethink on the January 26 public holiday.
AFL clubs have released statements in recent years, acknowledging the date is full of sadness for Australia’s Indigenous people.
But Port and the Bulldogs’ stance is stronger than ever, coming on Thursday, a day before Australia Day is officially marked.
“The Port Adelaide Football club acknowledges our First Nations people’s continuous connection to these lands for more than 60,000 years, and that the 26th of January represents a day of immense sadness and sorrow for many in our community,” the Power’s statement read.
“The Port Adelaide Football club respects that everyone has the right to their own views.
“The board, staff and players of the Port Adelaide Football club support changing the date.”
January 26 has long been a difficult symbol for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people given it marks the anniversary of the arrival of the British First Fleet into Sydney Cove and the raising of the Union Jack.
Bulldogs forward Arthur Jones labelled January 26 a “day of mourning”.
“Going to the march with all the boys last year ... it’s called Survival Day in our term, the oldest culture alive,” he said.
Premiership midfielder Tom Liberatore added: “The longer I’ve spent time with First Nations people, particularly teammates now, to hear what you’ve got to say and hear what you’ve been through, allows me to understand a lot more,” he said.
“It’s only a positive thing to change the date.”
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the national holiday.
Last night’s Australian of the Year award has revealed a truly heroic story with Prof Richard Scolyer, the cancer researcher who jointly won the main prize, revealing how he selflessly used his own terminal diagnosis to pioneer treatment that could save more lives in the future. But in a heartbreaking speech he said: “I don’t want to die.” In the Australia Day honours revealed last night, there were also awards for paralympian Ellie Cole, author Pamela Allen and broadcaster David Koch. More coming up.
A key adviser on the voice referendum has chosen the most difficult day of all for Indigenous Australians to say a treaty and truth-telling processes is needed “more than ever” after the defeat of the October vote and the government should press on with the process. Marcus Stewart, a former co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, said the unsuccessful referendum campaign had highlighted the gaping disparities in health and social outcomes for Indigenous people.
Another Australia Day has arrived with yet more proof that it’s becoming harder to justify the date of 26 January. As an example, Paul Daley points to conservative Cricket Australia’s distancing of itself from the celebrations and writes that “no matter how indignantly the woke-as-a-pejorative crowd screech … about the politically correct trying to steal their day, the cultural tide is ebbing fast”. Find out here which Invasion Day events are taking place near you.
