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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy (now) and Matilda Boseley (earlier)

Crowds march for Invasion Day protests – as it happened

Australia Covid-19 Invasion Day Victoria New South Wales Sydney Ukraine Canberra Russia Scott Morrison

What we learned, Wednesday 26 January

With that, we will wrap up the blog today.

Here were today’s major developments. Congratulations to the Australians who celebrated their citizenship today.

  • Invasion Day protestors gathered in the thousands across the nation on the 50th year of advocacy at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. A Guardian Essential poll found more Australians are in support of changing the date of Australia Day. Renewed calls have been made for the implementation of the Uluru Statement of the Heart and a voice to parliament to provide greater representation and self determination of First Nations peoples.
  • Scott Morrison used his speech at an Australia Day ceremony in Canberra to honour Australia’s freedoms and diversity as a nation.
  • It came as Dylan Alcott spent his first day as Australian of the Year, a platform he has so far used to campaign for greater prioritisation of the NDIS and free rapid antigen tests for the disabled community.
  • The body of a missing Launceston swimmer was discovered by police this afternoon. The woman in her 20s disappeared while swimming in a gorge yesterday.
  • In pandemic news, Victoria recorded 35 Covid deaths and 13,507 new cases as the Australian Open capacity limit was increased to 65%, while NSW surpassed 1 million Covid cases since the pandemic began as well as reporting 29 deaths.
  • Queensland recorded another nine deaths since reopening borders, while Tasmania recorded another Covid death and 712 new cases. The ACT recorded 896 new Covid cases and no deaths, and SA recorded 13 deaths and 2,401 cases.
  • A Northern Territory council has called for an urgent lockdown of remote Indigenous communities to save lives amid the “out-of-control” spread of Covid-19. And WA recorded 24 new Covid cases including a mystery case.

Updated

Before we wrap up the blog for the evening, it is worth watching former journalist Kerry O’Brien’s speech at this year’s Sunrise Ceremony.

Minister for foreign affairs, Marise Payne, minister for defence, Peter Dutton, and minister for international development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja, have issued a joint media release on further humanitarian support for Tonga.

The HMAS Adelaide arrived in Tonga today with humanitarian and medical supplies, engineering equipment and helicopters following the volcano and tsunami on 15 January. Before its arrival, it was confirmed more than 20 people on the ship had tested positive to Covid-19.

The commonwealth will provide an additional $2m in humanitarian funding for the “next phase” of Tonga’s recovery, bringing the humanitarian commitment to $3m. New Zealand has also committed to $3m in funding.

We appreciate the decision of the Government of Tonga to enable HMAS Adelaide to dock and offload the humanitarian and medical supplies, and the high priority it has placed on Covid safety throughout the recovery process.

Australia continues to take every precaution and are delivering our assistance to our partners in accordance with the Covid-safe practices that we have put in place with the government of Tonga. The ship is undertaking an entirely contactless delivery of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies.

ADF soldiers load onto HMAS Adelaide Brisbane before departing for Tonga, 20 January.
ADF soldiers load onto HMAS Adelaide Brisbane before departing for Tonga, 20 January. Photograph: CPL Robert Whitmore/AP

Updated

Labor is demanding disclosure of Covid-19 vaccination data for young Indigenous children as the overall First Nations jab rate lags by nearly 20%, AAP reports.

About 75% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 16 and older are double-dosed, compared with more than 93% of Australia’s overall 16-plus population.

Labor’s Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Linda Burney will use the resumption of federal parliament in February to demand transparency about first doses for under-12s as well as a breakdown of adult booster rates:

The government should be reporting Indigeneity in the five-to-11 group, it doesn’t make any sense that they’re not. We need to know what the vaccination rates are for our very young people. And it’s just remarkable to me and to many Aboriginal people that those those rates are not being reported.

Federal data shows about 33% of all Australian children between the ages of five and 11 have received a first dose. Nearly 76% of the overall 12-to-15 age cohort is double-dosed.

In comparison, about 64% of Indigenous children aged between 12 and 15 have received at least one dose.

More than 7 million adults have received a third dose, but the federal government’s daily vaccination tally does not show a breakdown for Indigenous people.

Updated

Body of missing Launceston swimmer found

Sad news coming out of Tasmania. The body of a female in her 20s who went missing while swimming at Cataract Gorge yesterday has been recovered by police divers.

Momentum continues to build for the date of Australia Day to change, with numerous clubs from around the country sending out strong statements about the pain and hurt that is caused by celebrating 26 January, AAP reports.

January 26 marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and the raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples, it represents Invasion Day.

Almost every single AFL club took to Twitter to acknowledge the pain and distress that 26 January represents, and the need for unity.

The AFL Players Association Tweeted a moving graphic that summed up the sentiment:

For many First Nations Peoples, this day represents the beginning of colonial violence, dispossession of land, destruction of culture, separation of families and brutal massacres across the country. This day is referred to by many as Invasion Day, Survival Day, and Day of Mourning.

Brisbane utility Callum Ah Chee hopes Australia Day will find a new date:

All Indigenous people want to celebrate this great country, but we want to do it together. If we could celebrate on another day, we want to be part of that.

Cricket Australia caused a stir last year when they dropped the term “Australia Day” for matches played on 26 January. They have gone one step further this year by allowing staff to work on 26 January and then take a day off on a different date.

The NBL sent out a statement acknowledging the pain that January 26 brings about for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:

In order to move forward in this country, we must acknowledge and understand our past. On today, and all days, we stand with those communities who have been affected by the wrongs of Australia’s past.

NRL outfit South Sydney Rabbitohs took to social media to acknowledge the pain and suffering that January 26 represents.

Today, the Rabbitohs join in acknowledging the many and varied cultures that make up our modern Australian nation. At the same time, we pay special tribute to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters and honour them as custodians of the oldest living culture on the planet.

In the NT, wild weather did not dim Survival Day gatherings:

It is also India’s 73rd Republic Day today, marking the date on which the nation’s constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950.

Which reminds me of one of my favourite Tweets of all time:

Extreme heat alert issued for Victoria

Amid raging storms, an extreme heat warning has been issued for Melbourne and other parts of central Victoria tomorrow.

Temperatures are tipped to reach up to 37C in the city, as the Victorian health department advises residents to stay hydrated, keep cool and, if travelling outdoors, to wear a hat and sunscreen and take a fitted face mask and bottle of water.

Speaking of wild weather in the state, a severe thunderstorm warning for heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and damaging winds has been extended to the Alpine area.

Updated

And, in South Australia, thunder is on the way, if it hasn’t arrived already:

Check out this picture of regional Victoria’s Ararat:

The WugulOra morning ceremony was first held in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden in 2003, when it was known as Woggan-ma-gule. It was renamed WugulOra, meaning “one mob”, and moved to the Sydney Opera House northern boardwalk in 2013. Since 2016 it has been held at Barangaroo Reserve. For those who missed it, here’s a look at this year’s ceremony.

Koomurri dancers arrive for the smoking ceremony at the WugulOra Morning Ceremony.
Koomurri dancers arrive for the smoking ceremony at the WugulOra morning ceremony, 26 January, 2022. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
Koomurri-Bujja Bujja dancers perform a smoking ceremony during the WugulOra Morning Ceremony.
Koomurri-Bujja Bujja dancers perform the smoking ceremony. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
A Bujja Bujja dancer performs in front of the Sydney Harbour bridge.
A Bujja Bujja dancer performs in front of the Sydney Harbour bridge. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
NSW premier Dominic Perrottett (centre) during the smoking ceremony.
NSW premier Dominic Perrottett (centre) during the smoking ceremony. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
Governor of NSW Margaret Beazley speaks during the ceremony.
Governor of NSW Margaret Beazley speaks during the ceremony. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
Vocal group KARI perform.
Vocal group KARI perform. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated

NSW surpasses 1 million Covid cases

NSW has surpassed 1 million coronavirus cases as a leading health expert warns Covid-19 infections could spread widely during Australia Day events, AAP reports.

The state recorded another 21,030 new Covid-19 infections today, marking the seven-digit figure two years after the first case was recorded in Australia.

While thousands gathered across the nation for Invasion Day marches, a top health expert advised people to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

Chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and former health department head Jane Halton encouraged people to remain vigilant at events to avoid another spike in cases.

We know it’s highly infectious and the closer everyone gets together, the more the likelihood you’ll be close to someone whose got Covid and therefore the greater the likelihood you’ll contract it. People should be careful. What we don’t want to see is a big increase in cases.

Halton said case numbers were coming down and it appeared as if Australia had come off the peak of the outbreak, but this could be jeopardised by large gatherings on the public holiday.

She stopped short of suggesting events should be cancelled, instead encouraging people to wear masks, maintain social distance and remain cautious.

Updated

Here is a good breakdown of the vaccination status of hospitalisations and deaths due to Covid-19 in Victoria.

People who had received a third vaccination make up just 6% of hospitalisations and ICU numbers in the state, while unvaccinated patients are vastly over-represented.

NT reports 492 cases, no deaths

The Northern Territory has reported another 492 Covid-19 infections as health minister Natasha Fyles resists calls for a seven-day lockdown in vulnerable parts of Central Australia.

Lockdowns are currently in place for a handful of remote communities, while lockouts are in place in some others including Alice Springs.

There are 84 people being treated in hospital.

Fyles:

We’ve got a strong testing regime. We certainly have got a really good supply of those all-important rapid antigen tests. They’re available to the community. We need people to come forward. It is difficult – a number of people will be asymptomatic, they won’t feel unwell, and their Covid is potentially picked up when other people test positive. So we just need Territorians to be really conscious of their health and even the slightest headache or sore throat or any of those symptoms – just isolate and get yourself a test, please. But we’re confident in the public health measures that we’ve got in place. We do have the lockout in place. And we believe that they’re proportionate and they’re following the health advice from our officials.

Updated

A fire in Mount Gambier has been contained:

Here is an excerpt from NSW premier Dominic Perrottet’s speech at WugulOra:

WugulOra, as we know, means “One Mob”. And that captures the heart and the spirit of what Australia must be about in 2022. As we rise to the challenges and the opportunities that face our nation in the short term and in the future. “One Mob”, one people, unity...now, this may not yet be a reality, but it must be our goal. And I do believe that the tide is turning. And for a new generation, unity is within reach. But that begins by acknowledging the truth of our past.

Acknowledging that this day represents enormous loss and hurt for many First Nations people, and honouring a culture which continues unbroken today, rich and...precious and proud. A living culture which can be at the heart of our culture, now and into the future.

So let’s do it. Let’s make it happen, not just with words but with action. Not just the next generation but for ours. Over the past two years, the difficult times of the pandemic, we have seen what our country can do when we all work together. And on this Australia Day we need to be more determined than ever to create change that makes a real difference, that closes the gap and honours the dignity of every Indigenous Australian, past, present and future. We can do it. We must do it. And we will do it if we work together as one mob. WugulOra.

NSW premier Dominic Perrottet speaks during the WugulOra morning ceremony at Walumil Lawns on 26 January 26, 2022 in Sydney, Australia.
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet speaks during the WugulOra morning ceremony at Walumil Lawns on 26 January 26, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. Photograph: Getty Images

Updated

Back to 26 January coverage, and councillor Yvonne Weldon, deputy chairperson of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Lands Council, made a moving speech earlier today at the NSW WugulOra Morning Ceremony:

On this day, 234 years ago, my people continued to live on this land as they had for thousands of generations. On these same waterways that Barangaroo fished, there were changes that came to my people, not peaceful changes, not settled, and not invited. What took place was genocide, irreversible trauma. Poisons, not just in our waterholes but others had in their hands, that later became placed in ours. The trauma and the introductions of new ways of living hasn’t been healthy for all ... despite these traumas and shifts in our way of living, we are still here, still practising, still inclusive.

Our traditions are varied in our diversity, across our lands. Our dance, our ceremony, and our welcomes, that continuous link of life, lessons, purpose, and nurturing supplies. Honouring our ancestors’ footsteps, we are all walking in, and those prints we are making to become our own ancestors in time. Continuing the practice of the many generations before us, to many generations to come.

The landscapes of this country tell our stories, through our culture, our history, and our boundaries ... my people are the oldest living culture of the world. It is important to remember and acknowledge the massacres that took place, all those people that aren’t remembered by name but are mourned in our souls. The injustices that continue and the unsung heroes, our warriors, that has taken place and what needs to be owned. We all need to change the way we treat each other. Don’t judge on what you think you know, but get to know what you don’t. The cruelty and inhumane treatment to my people needs to be acknowledged. Not out of a guilt, but to right the wrongs of the past, not to continue to be in our present. If we don’t, we will never truly create an all embracing future.

Koomurri-Bujja Bujja dancers perform during the WugulOra Morning Ceremony at Walumil Lawns on 26 January, 2022 in Sydney, Australia.
Koomurri-Bujja Bujja dancers perform during the WugulOra Morning Ceremony at Walumil Lawns on 26 January, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. Photograph: Getty Images

Updated

WA records another mystery case

We have more details coming in on the 24 new Covid-19 cases detected in Western Australia overnight. It’s a jump of 14 cases detected yesterday.

Nine of today’s cases were from the regional area of Bunbury, bringing the cluster to 16. The remaining 15 cases were from Perth, including a mystery case that is yet to be linked to a known outbreak.

Premier Mark McGowan said as of 9am today, 90% of Western Australians aged above 12 were double-dose vaccinated:

It’s a remarkable achievement – which many thought Western Australians could never achieve. I would like to thank each and every person who turned out to get vaccinated over the past year – to protect themselves and their loved ones from this dangerous virus. With Omicron continuing to spread in the WA community, it’s even more vital Western Australians roll up for their third Covid-19 vaccination dose ... already, WA has a third dose vaccination rate of more than 31% – and pleasingly that number is growing rapidly every single day.

The Shire of Cunderdin posted on Facebook last night that a community member had tested positive to Covid-19, leading to the cancellation of Australia Day events:

The Shire of Cunderdin has been made aware that a community member from Cunderdin has tested positive for Covid-19. The close contacts of that person have been identified and have been notified by WA Health to isolate and get tested. In the best interest of the health and safety of the community the Shire has made the very difficult decision to cancel the Australia Day Breakfast and the Australia Day Pool party which was planned at the Cunderdin Memorial Pool.

Updated

SA records 13 deaths, 2,401 cases

South Australia’s Covid-19 case numbers are in – and there have been 2,401 detected overnight – a fair jump from yesterday’s figure of 1,869.

Sadly, there have been 13 deaths including seven in the past 24 hours. It is the deadliest day of the pandemic in the state so far.

There are 288 people being treated in hospital, including 26 in intensive care and four requiring ventilation.

Updated

In Victoria, on the land of the Kulin nation:

As Australians celebrate their newfound citizenship around the nation today, many prospective citizens remain waiting.

The average processing time for citizenship by conferral was 13 months from date of application to the decision, a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said.

The latest departmental figures show some of these applications take two or more years, with 90% of applications processed within 24 months.

Large Invasion Day protests held across Australia

Invasion Day protests are being held across Australia, with large crowds gathering in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and other cities.

Several hundred protesters gathered on the lawns outside Parliament House in Canberra, met by a large police contingent.

Stalls and speech tents were also set up at the nearby Aboriginal Tent Embassy, which marks 50 years of activism today.

Helicopters displaying the Australian flag and a low military flyover contrasted with a seas of shirts displaying the Aboriginal flag and statements of Indigenous sovereignty.

In Sydney, thousands of Invasion Day protesters marched through the city, while a large number braved the rain in Brisbane with signs bearing “Change the date” and “Always ways, always will be”.

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Sydney.
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
‘I don’t celebrate genocide,’ a sign reads in Sydney.
‘I don’t celebrate genocide,’ a sign reads in Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/EPA
Activists march in Brisbane.
Activists march in Brisbane. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP
A woman dances during the Invasion Day rally in Brisbane.
A woman dances during the Invasion Day rally in Brisbane. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP
Protesters gather in Garema Place before marching to Old Parliament House in Canberra.
Protesters gather in Garema Place before marching to Old Parliament House in Canberra. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

In Melbourne, statues of Captain James Cook were smeared with red paint.

A group claiming empathy for the protest action said Captain Cook had begun an era of “racism and misogynist violence”:

We are among the many thousands of voices calling for truth telling about the Frontier Wars so that the work of healing can begin. We cannot change the past but we can change which parts of our shared history we celebrate. We can and will change our future.

– with AAP

Updated

The parent company of the firm that runs Australia’s offshore processing regime on Nauru has failed to lodge financial reports with the corporate regulator on time, in an apparent breach of corporations law.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has confirmed that it has registered a “report of misconduct” against Rard No 3, the Brisbane-based company that wholly owns Canstruct International, following the Guardian’s inquiries. The potential penalty for filing a report late is a fine of more than $25,000.

Canstruct International has earned $1.82bn since 2017 running Australia’s sole offshore processing operation on the Pacific island. Its contract to provide “garrison and welfare services” for a little over 100 refugees and asylum seekers held on the island was extended last week – its eighth noncompetitive extension – for another six months, for $218.5m.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are now in place for parts of South Australia, Victoria and Queensland.

Meanwhile, more than 16,000 new citizens will be conferred today across 400 ceremonies nationwide.

Here are some new Australian citizens pictured alongside pleased politicians:

We should be hearing from WA premier Mark McGowan in the next half an hour.

Updated

I would like one ticket to the Enchanted Forest of Protection please.

WA records 24 new Covid cases – report

I hope to bring you more information soon, but Nine News is reporting Western Australia has recorded 24 new Covid-19 cases today, a slight jump from the past few days.

Updated

Yugambeh Country: The annual Sunrise Ceremony kicked off on the Gold Coast earlier today with speeches from Professor Chelsea Watego, Thomas Mayor, Rhoda Roberts, Erfan Daliri, Kerry O’Brien, Patrick ‘Mau Power’ Mau, Nyadol Nyuon and Azmeena Hussain.

Russia’s ambassador in Australia says the country’s decision to withdraw diplomatic staff from its embassy in Ukraine “would be funny if it wasn’t so sad”, AAP’s Dominic Giannini reports.

Aleksey Pavlovsky has talked down fears of an invasion of Ukraine, saying there is no intention to go to war as 100,000 troops amass on the border. He told the ABC:

We should use our critical thinking. Isn’t it a funny way to prepare an invasion by just gathering troops on the border and let them sit there for months. When you prepare an invasion you just do it promptly. These troops are not a threat, they are a warning to Ukraine’s rulers not to attempt any reckless military adventures.

Pavlovsky said large-scale military exercises are conducted regularly because Russia has to maintain its preparedness.

The Russian ambassador also criticised Australia’s decision to issue a do not travel declaration for Ukraine and for its call for citizens in the country to leave, as well as talking down the impact of sanctions – which have been threatened by western nations including Australia – saying they don’t work.

Tensions in Ukraine have been increasing for months, with the west accusing the Kremlin of preparing for war to prevent Ukraine joining NATO. There are concerns Russia is conducting a cyber offensive, having been blamed earlier this month for defacing Ukrainian government websites and infecting computers with destructive malware .

Ukrainian civilians participate in defence training in a forest in Kyiv amid a build up of Russian troops on the border.
Ukrainian civilians participate in defence training in a forest in Kyiv amid a build up of Russian troops on the border. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Home affairs minister Karen Andrews said Russia posed a risk in terms of cyber security. She told 4BC radio:

What we have become aware of – as has the rest of the world – is that in recent times there’s been some activity in the Ukraine, potentially by Russia. We will be doing all that we can to look at what the source of these attacks are, how they can be remedied, how we can use that information to support potentially the Ukraine.

Foreign minister Marise Payne has reiterated support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, calling for Russia to de-escalate the situation along the eastern European border.

But former US representative to NATO and US special representative for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker said Russia’s presence at crisis talks in France was simply it “going through the motions of engaging in diplomatic activity”, with a possible invasion still imminent.

Updated

Ngunnawal country – the march to the Tent Embassy in Canberra.

Gadigal Country: A sense of the crowd gathered in the Sydney CBD.

Updated

Still in Victoria:

If you haven’t gotten to it yet, Lorena Allam and Juno Gemes’s feature on the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a beautiful read. It begins:

In the middle of the night, four young Aboriginal men pitched a beach umbrella on the lawns opposite Parliament House and sat down. When dawn broke on 26 January 1972, a police officer came over to ask how long they intended to stay.

“Until we get land rights,” one of the four, Billy Craigie, told the officer.

Commissioner Gibson apparently laughed and said, “that might be a long time”.

Craigie replied: “Well, we’ll be here a long time then.”

Read the full story here:

Updated

There is a severe thunderstorm warning in place for parts of Victoria, as well as minor flooding possible at Booligal, Collerina, Goodwins and Hay in New South Wales.

More footage of the significant crowds on Gadigal land in Sydney:

Victorian Covid press conference begins

In Victoria, Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar is speaking in Frankston.

He said 35 Covid deaths were recorded on Wednesday, the highest single daily figure in some time.

Today I’m afraid is a significant day. We’ve now reported 35 deaths in the last 24 hours, those have been taken over a number of days in the preceding period but that’s the highest single day number that we’ve reported in the entire pandemic, and our thoughts and condolences are with all our families and friends of those 35 Victorians who have passed away with Covid in the last few days. It is again a somber milestone that we should all reflect on.

Weimar did not have further details on the age or vaccination status of those who died.

Victoria recorded 59 Covid fatalities on 4 September 2020, the highest number of the pandemic, although the majority of the deaths were from previous months.

Updated

Many thanks as always to Matilda Boseley. I’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon.

With that, I shall hand you over to Caitlin Cassidy to take you through the rest of the day’s news.

Hema Henry has been working as a registered nurse in western NSW for five years and today became an Australian citizen.

“I wanted to experience life in regional Australia. I really love it, I love the quietness and the people are very welcoming, friendly and open,” Henry said.

Henry participated in a cultural smoking ceremony led by Wiradjuri elder Ralph Naden, which is the first time the ceremony has been part of Australia Day celebrations in Gilgandra.

Kylie Louie, a Wiradjuri woman who won a sports achievement award at the ceremony for her contribution to the local Pink Panthers club, said it was her first time ever participating in an Indigenous smoking ceremony.

“It cleansed the mind and I could feel it straight away,” Louie said. “I’ll always remember who I am and where I come from and recognise my culture which I love.”

Gilgandra. Hema Henry, who’s been working as a registered nurse in Western NSW for five years today became an Australian citizen and is participating in the cultural smoking ceremony led by Ralph Naden.
Hema Henry, who’s been working as a registered nurse in Western NSW for five years, today became an Australian citizen. She participated in a cultural smoking ceremony led by Ralph Naden. Photograph: Natasha May/The Guardian

Updated

In case you missed it, here are the official Covid-19 numbers for Queensland today.

The Brisbane Lions AFL team has come out in support of changing the date of Australia Day, with posts across social media reading: “Jan 26: Not a day to celebrate”.

Updated

Search for missing swimmer at Tasmanian gorge continues

People have been asked to avoid a popular swimming spot in northern Tasmania as the search for a missing woman enters a second day, AAP reports.

The woman, aged in her 20s, who was swimming with friends and family at Cataract Gorge in Launceston, was reported missing around 1pm on Tuesday.

Police divers, members of Surf Life Saving Australia and other community organisations continued search efforts on Wednesday morning.

The woman was last seen swimming in an area of the gorge known as First Basin, which is 20 metres deep.

Parts of the basin will be closed for periods of the day due to the search.

“People are asked to avoid the area while the search is underway,” Tasmania Police said in a statement.

More than 30 people, including SES volunteers, were involved in the search on Tuesday.

Launceston’s Cataract Gorge.
Launceston’s Cataract Gorge. Photograph: lkonya/Alamy

Updated

The crowds are now on the move at Sydney’s Invasion Day protest, marching down Elizabeth Street.

Guardian Australia’s Blake Sharp-Wiggins is there, bring us all the updates.

Updated

Support for changing the date of Australia Day growing, survey shows

Australians could be warming to the idea of changing the date of Australia Day to recognise Indigenous peoples, or keeping 26 January but establishing a separate day for that purpose, according to the Guardian Essential poll.

The latest survey of 1,028 voters finds 57% of respondents would either support changing the day or keeping the traditional date with another day to better acknowledge and respect the continuous occupation of First Nations people – which is a four-point shift from attitudes in 2021.

Australia Day is controversial because 26 January marks the day the first fleet arrived in Sydney cove in 1788 – beginning the process of Indigenous dispossession.

As well as evolving community attitudes about the date, the latest Guardian Essential poll suggests a shift in mindset about the current lived reality for Indigenous Australians.

You can read the full report below:

Updated

ACT records 896 new Covid cases

The ACT has recorded 896 new Covid cases.

Updated

A man who was arrested at the Australian Open has been released pending further inquiry, as police investigate assaults on staff at the event, AAP reports.

Earlier on Wednesday, Victoria police alleged a woman had been sexually assaulted at Rod Laver Arena just before midnight on Tuesday.

However, police have since changed their statement and no longer believe the sexual assault took place.

“Our information on the incidents at the tennis has changed,” a police spokesman said.

Reports of “assaults on staff members” at the venue are still being investigated.

A 37-year-old man was arrested and has been released pending further enquiries and the investigation is ongoing.

Updated

Lockdown call for NT remote communities

A Northern Territory council has called for an urgent lockdown of remote Indigenous communities to save lives amid the “out-of-control” spread of Covid-19.

The Central Land Council says the NT and federal governments must collaborate on enforcing a lockdown until the situation is under control, AAP reports.

“We need a circuit breaker to slow down the out-of-control spread of the virus in our communities,” chief executive Les Turner said in a statement.

We all use the same hospitals and will be very much in it together when they become overwhelmed.

Turner said the lockdown should include police and Australian Defence Force personnel staffing roadblocks to restrict movement between communities and into regional centres. The NT reported 517 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday as the virus continues to spread through Indigenous communities.

Turner said a number of super-spreader events had contributed to the explosion of positive cases, but that Aboriginal people were taking action.

Many of our constituents are now delaying funerals to slow the spread of Covid …

Our people and their organisations are doing their bit. They now need both governments to stop burying their heads in the sand, face facts and back them.

Updated

Vaccination rates among Perth’s growing homeless community may be as low as 45%, according to comprehensive data collected by one service provider, raising fears the vulnerable cohort will be caught in a “perfect storm” when Western Australia does open its borders.

The premier, Mark McGowan, announced last week the state would delay plans to lift the hard border on 5 February, a decision that sparked anger among some residents but was also greeted with relief by others, including some homelessness advocates.

While WA avoided a crisis of Covid deaths, homelessness became a hot-button issue amid a spate of rough sleepers dying on the streets of Perth. Real-time data collected by Shelter WA says there are now about 500 people sleeping rough in Perth, and about 1,000 people experiencing homelessness overall.

You can read the full report below:

Updated

From the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in the capital:

Updated

National Covid update

Here are the latest Covid-19 numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 74 deaths from the virus:

Victoria

  • Deaths: 35
  • Cases: 13,507
  • Hospitalisations: 1,089 (with 113 in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 29
  • Cases: 21,030
  • Hospitalisations: 2,794 (with 175 in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 9
  • Cases: 13,551
  • Hospitalisations: 889 (with 47 in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 712
  • Hospitalisations: 28 (with 2 in ICU)

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 896
  • Hospitalisations: 67 (with 5 in ICU)

SA

  • Deaths: 13
  • Cases: 2,401
  • Hospitalisations: 288 (with 26 in ICU)

NT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 492
  • Hospitalisations: 84

WA

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 24
  • Hospitalisations: 0

NT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 492
  • Hospitalisations: 84

Updated

Many Aboriginal activists say that 26 January is not a day to celebrate, but instead a day to start “paying the rent” – by supporting and donating to the needs of First Nations people.

Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to Greens senator Lidia Thorpe and First Nations author Veronica Gorrie about the history of this movement, and how to “pay the rent” this Invasion Day

You can listen below:

Updated

Australian Open capacity limit increased to 65%

Capacity limits for the Australian Open will be increased from 50% to 65% in Melbourne, the Victorian sports minister has confirmed.

Updated

We will be getting an update on the Victorian Covid-19 situation at midday AEDT.

Updated

Crowd gathers at Sydney Invasion Day rally

The crowd has really started to grow at the Sydney Town Hall for the city’s Invasion Day protest.

Updated

The new owner of Scott Morrison’s WeChat account has expressed disbelief that it had been entrusted to an individual in China – and is now considering shutting it down amid a growing political storm.

Earlier this month, subscribers to the Australian prime minister’s official WeChat profile were notified the account had been sold to the Fuzhou 985 Information Technology Co Ltd and had been renamed “Australian Chinese New Life”.

The account’s new owners have not yet posted any content, despite claims by a News Corp tabloid that it had been “rebranded as a pro-Beijing propaganda outfit”.

You can read the full report from Donna Lu and Daniel Hurst below:

Updated

Here is the governor general David Hurley speaking at the Australia Day citizenship ceremony in Canberra:

Yes, I know there are challenges, I see them every day. I know there are tough days. We’ve wept with people, we’ve comforted people, but we are at heart a good people.

Not afraid of hard work, we’re creative, we’re innovative, and we can take on anything. We’re the product of our past, and the sum of each of our individual stories, and you, our newest citizens, add to that rich mix and add to our story with your own. That, I believe is worth celebrating here on Australia Day.

Updated

Tasmania records another Covid death and 712 new cases

A woman aged in her 80s has died after being diagnosed with Covid-19 in Tasmania as the state records another 712 cases.

Hospitalisation numbers in the state now sit at 28, with two in the ICU.

Updated

I said I was just confirming Queensland’s total case numbers for today. It is 13,551, an increase of around 4,000 from yesterday.

A Covid testing centre at the Gold Coast University hospital.
A Covid testing centre at the Gold Coast University hospital. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

Updated

Scott Morrison has read out a poem about Australia written by his daughter Lily.

“I could not express my love for this country better than the young girl who wrote this verse. And I’d like to conclude by sharing her thoughts with you. It’s called my land Australia,” he says, before reading the poem:

Land of everything, sapphire sea and dark sparkling nights. Everything is one. Everything is sun. I can feel a million rejoices, can hear a million voices.

My land called Australia. My heart soiled in loving grace. My cherished home filled with love and ancient dreaming. The high mountain ranges in between my gazes with the outback on the horizon we can see new beginnings.

Trying to get away from the blue bottles. Lightning is cracking and as we watch cattle and rams go rotten with drought and flood, we can always come together. We have a bronzing bond.

Through fire, famine, flood and pandemics, it’s going, going, going. We will never tire out. We’ll keep our flags up and let it fly, fly, fly. Australia, my land, my country of hardship, my country of grace, my country of stars.

Don’t care how much you try to persuade me, give me books, money and lovely birch trees. Nothing can take my love from this land. Nothing can take the smile off my face when we get a sunburn and lie for a bit. My friends and family can ride together down to the river, beach or bay, we can sit and reminisce about the ... sun’s rays. Yes, of course you can do that anywhere, but can you see the drop bears there?

That poem was written by my daughter, Lily Morrison.

Updated

Scott Morrison speaks at Australia Day ceremony in Canberra

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is standing up now at the citizenship ceremony in Canberra. Let’s have a listen in.

Like the country itself, Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are diverse, they’re unique and they connect us through time. And here in our capital, home of the Ngunnawal people, the home of a free, democratic people, the most successful multicultural and multi-faith nation on earth.

We also honour the men and women past and present who secured and now protect our freedoms by serving in the Australian defence forces.

And we acknowledge them, those who have pledged themselves to duty, service and sacrifice, and we say to them thank you for your service. And there are many others who are wearing uniforms, serving on the front lines of the pandemic – our health workers, those who are working in emergency services and manning Covid clinics, those indeed from the St John’s Ambulance and many other places doing what they do every day.

Scott Morrisson at the citizenship and flag raising ceremony in Canberra this morning.
Scott Morrison at the citizenship and flag raising ceremony in Canberra this morning. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Updated

Back in Canberra, the chair of the Australia Day council, Danielle Roche, is speaking now.

Australia Day is a day to reflect, respect and celebrate. The story of Australia is a great story. It’s one that began thousands of generations ago and continues to this day.

On this day, we reflect on what it means to be welcomed to country, the honour, privilege, and responsibility that comes with being invited to carry forward a legacy of 65,000 years of continuous culture, and respect for the country. We all have an important role to play in the story of Australia.

Updated

Queensland records nine Covid deaths

Queensland chief health officer Dr John Gerrard has confirmed that another nine people with Covid-19 have died in the state.

I’m just trying to confirm the total case number for the day.

Hospitalisation numbers have dropped to 889 from 928, with just 47 now in the ICU in the state.

Gerrard has credited much of this drop to the Gold Coast now passing the peak of the pandemic.

Updated

The prime minister and governor general are now arriving at the official Australia Day ceremony in Canberra. I’ll bring you updates when the speeches start.

Updated

Obviously, today has already been a significantly deadly day in terms of the Covid death toll, but let’s have a closer look at the hospitalisation numbers as well.

Victoria’s total hospitalisation number has risen by 35 to 1,071, with ICU number going down by six, now sitting at 113.

In NSW their hospital total has gone down by 149 to 2,794, with their ICU numbers now sitting at 175 (down 8 from yesterday).

Victoria records 35 Covid deaths and 13,507 new cases

Victoria has recorded 13,507 new Covid cases and sadly 35 more deaths.

Updated

NSW records 29 Covid deaths and 21,030 new cases

New South Wales has recorded 21,030 new Covid cases and 29 more deaths.

Updated

Newly minted Australia of the Year Dylan Alcott has been speaking with ABC News Breakfast this morning about what the title means to him.

Oh ... I’ve got to stop talking about it because I get a bit emotional about it.

Because I hated myself so much growing up. I just didn’t want to be here anymore, to be honest. I hated my disability and you know because of my family and people with disability that came before me, breaking glass ceilings so I can be who I am, athletes like Kurt Fearnley, Louise Sauvage, advocates like Stella Young, in a tougher time they changed everything.

And I saw that and I’m so proud of my disability. I love it so much and to be named Australian of the Year and to get it for not just being good at tennis, but for the work off the court.

My purpose 10 years ago, yesterday, today and as Australian of the Year has never changed.

It’s not to win tennis tournaments, it’s to change perceptions to [allow] people with disability to live the lives they deserve to live. To be given that honour, to hold that platform, to be able to do that, it’s huge. And I’m just so grateful and thankful and it’s unbelievable. I don’t know what to say.

Dylan Alcott at the 2022 Australian of the Year ceremony last night.
Dylan Alcott at the 2022 Australian of the Year ceremony last night. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Those in the central district of Victoria have been warned to prepare for extreme heat today.

Here is Amy Remeikis talking about how uncomfortable Australia really still is with seeing an angry woman. She discusses the shock many felt last year (when the conversation about the culture of sexual assault and harraments in politics really started) after prime minister Scott Morrison said his wife Jenny told him to consider what he would want for their daughters if they were in Brittany Higgins’s position.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing because I really hoped that Australia is better than what we were seeing from our nation’s leaders. And it was a slap in the face to see that, no, we’re not.

I was struck down and then the rage came pretty quickly and has probably been flowing ever since then. But rage and anger can be useful. We’re just not used to seeing angry women.

Rage is a term with negative connotations, especially gendered ones. Really, you know, women who are angry have been called an ‘angry woman’ many times, ‘she’s so rude’, ‘she’s so angry’. But it can help with coming to terms with what has happened and actually empowering women.

Updated

Guardian Australia’s fantastic Amy Remeikis is speaking to ABC radio about the strange outcry following 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame’s refusal to smile when meeting with prime minister Scott Morrison at the lodge yesterday.

I’ll bring you some quotes as soon as I can, but for now have a listen in on what she had to say on The Project last night.

Updated

Cast members of the Netflix reality series Byron Baes have posted videos to social media of people dancing to live music at a crowded Byron Bay venue in apparent contravention of New South Wales Covid measures.

Two of the show’s other stars have posted videos in the days after receiving positive Covid tests that appear to show them out in public.

Covid case numbers in the northern NSW health district have exploded since December, and staff at hospitals serving the Byron Bay area have reported they are under “extreme strain”.

On 10 January, two days after the NSW government reintroduced a ban on singing and dancing in hospitality venues, at least three cast members of the reality TV show about social influencers in the Byron Bay area – scheduled for broadcast later this year – were tagged in Instagram videos filmed at the night spot Casa Luna at a birthday party for one of the show’s stars, Hannah Brauer.

You can read the full report below:

A leading health expert has warned of the potential spread of the virulent Omicron Covid-19 strain during events today as large crowds gather for protest or celebration, AAP reports.

Jane Halton, chair of the coalition for epidemic preparedness and former health department head, says the closer people pack together the more likely it is the virus will spread.

We know it’s highly infectious and the closer everyone gets together, the more the likelihood you’ll be close to someone whose got Covid and therefore the greater the likelihood you’ll contract it.

People should be careful. What we don’t want to see is a big increase in cases.

Halton said case numbers were coming down and it appeared as if Australia has come off the peak of the outbreak, but this could be jeopardised by large gatherings on the public holiday.

She stopped short of suggesting events should be cancelled, instead encouraging people to wear masks, maintain social distance and remain cautious.

I don’t think we should be cancelling things. I just think people should be courteous, thoughtful, and a little bit careful.

Updated

An aged care provider says it has “no faith” in the commonwealth’s supply of rapid tests after deliveries failed to show for almost three weeks after a Covid outbreak, forcing it to withhold them from essential visitors and scramble unsuccessfully to procure its own.

The government has repeatedly said it is prioritising its stocks of rapid tests to aged care facilities experiencing outbreaks.

But the supply at St Basil’s Homes in South Australia, which runs three facilities in the state, is so precarious that the provider wrote to residents and their families last week, outlining its serious concerns about government supply and warning the tests were “like liquid gold”.

The letter, seen by the Guardian, told families they would need to find their own tests or be barred entry. It also said the provider would be attempting to buy its own tests, which could then be purchased by visitors at cost price.

You can read the full report below:

Updated

The aged care and sport minister, Richard Colbeck, attended the Ashes cricket on the same day he declined to appear at the Covid-19 committee citing officials’ “urgent and critical” work combating Omicron.

You can read the full story on that from Paul Karp below:

But for now, let’s have a listen in to what the chair of that committee, shadow finance minister Katy Gallagher, had to say about the situation.

[Colbeck] refused to attend at any point on the fifth day on the 14th of January. So we had a hearing scheduled, it went into the afternoon, there was no offer to attend at any point, whether it was a day/night match or whatever.

He refused to attend and said that by attending we divert resources and attention away from dealing with the crisis, and then he attended the cricket for three days.

So I just think people in aged care who are living through this crisis loved ones people who are Covid positive, workers who are Covid positive would find that a bit hard to stomach while the system is in crisis, you know, shortage of rep testing, shortage of PPE and 40% of the system in lockdown during that week, that this was the appropriate response.

Here is a telling exchange with the Russian ambassador to Australia, Aleksey Pavlovsky, when speaking to ABC radio:

Sanctions don’t work when applied to Russia.

Host Patricia Karvelas:

So you’re saying nothing Australia could do will have any impact?

Pavlovsky:

I said what I said.

Updated

The Russian ambassador to Australia, Aleksey Pavlovsky:

Isn’t it a funny way to prepare an invasion? Just gather troops on the border and let them sit there for months.

When you prepare an invasion, you just do it promptly.

Updated

'We don’t intend to invade': Russian ambassador to Australia says about Ukraine

The Russian ambassador to Australia, Aleksey Pavlovsky, has told ABC radio that Russia has no intention to invade Ukraine.

We don’t intend to invade at all. It’s very regrettable that the situation is portrayed the other way here and by our Western partners.

As to the sanctions, by now everybody should understand the language which should be used when talking to Russia. The sanctions just don’t work.

These troops are not a threat, they are a warning. A warning to Ukraine’s rulers not to attempt a reckless military adventure.

A convoy of Russian armoured vehicles moves along a highway in Crimea. Russia has an estimated 100,000 troops with tanks and other heavy weapons near Ukraine in what the West fears could be a prelude to an invasion.
A convoy of Russian armoured vehicles moves along a highway in Crimea. Russia has an estimated 100,000 troops with tanks and other heavy weapons near Ukraine in what the West fears could be a prelude to an invasion. Photograph: AP

Updated

Captain Cook statue drenched in red paint in Melbourne

Red paint has been poured over a statue of Captain Cook in Melbourne’s St Kilda as part of Invasion Day protests.

Red paint on Captain Cook statute.
The Captain Cook statue in St Kilda this morning. Photograph: James Ross/AAP
Red paint on Captain Cook statue.

Updated

In the middle of the night, four young Aboriginal men pitched a beach umbrella on the lawns opposite Parliament House and sat down. When dawn broke on 26 January 1972, a police officer came over to ask how long they intended to stay.

“Until we get land rights,” one of the four, Billy Craigie, told the officer.

Commissioner Gibson apparently laughed and said, “that might be a long time”.

Craigie replied: “Well, we’ll be here a long time then.”

It’s 50 years today since the Aboriginal tent embassy was born from that act of defiance. And its demands remain current.

You can read the full story from Lorena Allam and Juno Gemes below:

In Covid news, NSW is expected to report its one-millionth infection of the pandemic today. Half of those cases were added in the last two weeks and more than 90% of them in the last two months.

On Tuesday, NSW premier Dominic Perrottet announced that reintroduced restrictions for mask use, hospitality density limits and bans on singing and dancing – due to end on Thursday – would be extended until the end of February in a bid to suppress the spread of Omicron as children return to school, AAP reports.

He said extending restrictions to February 28 was “the right approach” as it would suppress the spread of Omicron ahead of increased movement once schools return next week, he said.

It’s better to have the two-square-metre rule than no square-metre rules and not having the confidence in the community to go out to restaurants and bars.

Under the continuing restrictions, hospitality venues including pubs, nightclubs and cafes will keep an indoor density limit, masks are required in all indoor settings except homes and QR code check-ins are compulsory at certain premises, including hospitality venues and shops.

Updated

Good morning

Good morning everyone, it’s Matilda Boseley here today, and wow there is a lot to talk about already.

Australian tennis star Dylan Alcott is the 2022 Australian of the Year, being awarded the title the same day as advancing to another Australian Open wheelchair final.

But, he said in his speech, “winning grand slams and gold medals isn’t [his] purpose”.

It’s like the 30th priority of my life. My purpose is changing perceptions so people with people like me can get out there and live the lives they deserve to live.

We have to have greater representation of people with a disability absolutely everywhere.

In our boardrooms, in our parliaments, in our mainstream schools, on our dating apps, on our sporting fields, in our universities, absolutely everywhere.

He also used his platform to advocate for free rapid antigen tests for people with disabilities, after the federal government announced they could be purchased through people’s NDIS funds.

Of course, the changing of the Australian of the Year mantel means today is 26 January, and Invasion Day protesters plan to gather at Canberra’s Aboriginal Tent Embassy – which marks 50 years of advocacy – before an expected march to Parliament House.

Ngambri-Ngunnawal elder Matilda House Williams told AAP the struggle was ongoing.

Just because 50 years have gone by, the struggle of maintaining rights, for land rights and all those other inequalities is still there.

[The government] say all these wonderful things but we still have the struggle of carrying on, of still not having the things other people have in this country have.

I will bring you all the updates on these protests and other events, rallies and celebrations here on the blog.

With that, why don’t we jump right into the day?

Updated

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