Rallies across Australia call for date change, action on the Uluru statement and an end to ‘racist’ policies

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Massive crowds turned out for the Invasion Day march in Melbourne on Friday, far surpassing expectations and exceeding numbers at the official Australia Day parade.

The crowd in Melbourne, an estimated 60,000, was by far the biggest of a series of protests in major cities across the country.

Smaller marches were held in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin, celebrating Indigenous resistance, calling for action on the Uluru statement and urging an end to “racist” and harmful government policies.

Together they presented a voice that organisers said could not be ignored.

The tens of thousands in Melbourne marched under the banner of “abolish Australia Day”.

Sally Newell (@ActOnClimate) Melbourne turns out in force for #InvasionDay Reports of 60,000.

Time to pay respects to our black history, and offer solidarity#ChangeTheDate #AlwaysWillBe pic.twitter.com/TjnP1fIZGy

The Invasion Day march outnumbered those at the official Australia Day parade. Spectators stayed to watch the protest, awkwardly waving plastic Australian flags as the crowd chanting “no pride in genocide” marched past.



With dozens of police officers present, human rights observers from Amnesty Australia monitored police behaviour.

Maria Matthews (@MariaMatthewsYW) It’s been said that 60k had turned up today in #Melbourne for the #InvasionDay March. Prof. Gary Foley stated that he had never seen such large numbers for a protest since the late 60s. pic.twitter.com/AchyTlC3d3

The march closed off a 2km loop of the city, stretching from Parliament House, down Bourke Street and Swanston Street, and back along Flinders Street to Treasury Gardens.

The leading Indigenous activist Gary Foley, a professor of history at Victoria University, surveyed the crowd from the back of a flat-top truck in the closed-off street outside Flinders Street station.

“I haven’t seen a crowd like this since the 1970s,” he said. “If we keep mobilising these sort of numbers, governments cannot ignore us.”

matthew craig (@whatmsees) January 26, 2018. The people are speaking. The future will be shaped by these voices and those before. Always was, always will be 🖤💛❤️#InvasionDay pic.twitter.com/ksPNSzU2g1

In Sydney, protesters joined two events: the Long March for Justice Through Treaty, a recreation of the 1988 march from Redfern to Hyde Park, and an Invasion Day march from the Block in Redfern to Victoria Park.



A smaller crowd of several hundred turned out for the Justice Through Treaty march, which featured a series of powerful speeches, including from the shadow human services minister, Linda Burney, and the Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary, Sally McManus.

Christopher Knaus (@knausc) Several hundred people in Hyde Park after Justice Through Treaty March from Redfern. Gillian Triggs describes lack of action on Uluru Statement is a “national shame”. @sallymcmanus said CDP program is deeply racist and must be abolished. #invasionday pic.twitter.com/cEWwKWDiZW

McManus called for an end to the community development program in remote communities. She labelled it deeply racist and said it ought to be abolished.

“It’s a racist program because it is only in rural and remote areas, 80% of the people in the program are Indigenous and they have to work 25 hours a week, compulsory work, no sick leave, no annual leave, no workers’ compensation, no minimum wage,” McManus said, prompting cries of “shame” from the crowd.

Earlier, the former human rights commissioner Gillian Triggs said the Turnbull government’s response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart was a source of national shame.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Invasion Day protesters outside Parliament House in Melbourne. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

The Coalition, she said, had betrayed the optimism and faith of Indigenous leaders in the process.

“It’s shameful that despite all the political promises and the meeting of experts, the Turnbull government has rejected the Uluru Statement from the Heart,” Triggs said. “It’s especially disappointing as that process was established by unanimous action in 2013 and succeeded in making a considered proposal for recognition.”

Yingiya Guyula, a Northern Territory MP, said Indigenous people were still being pushed off the land and forced to assimilate in Arnhem Land. He called for the start of a true treaty process, which was not imposed on Indigenous people.

“We do not want treaty that is imposed on us,” he said. “We want treaty that liberates our people and recognises our law.”

Eliza Berlage (@verbaliza) Just a section of the huge crowd gathered at The Block in Sydney’s Redfern to mark #InvasionDay pic.twitter.com/5LD7BlXunY

Crowds were significantly larger at the second Sydney event and organiser Ken Canning said he hoped it would draw attention to Indigenous deaths in custody.

“The idea here is to engage the general public because our political spectrum around the country, except for maybe the Greens party ... they ignore the calls of Aboriginal people,” he said before the march.

“It’s also important to raise the issues that are still ongoing in Aboriginal communities. We have the highest deaths in custody rates in the world per head of population, the highest imprisonment rates.”

Hundreds of people rallied on the lawns of Hobart’s Parliament House, calling for the date of Australia Day to be changed. Banners reading “Survival Day” were carried by protesters.

“It’s not just Aboriginal people but our non-Indigenous friends who know the difference between right and wrong,” the Aboriginal activist Nala Mansell told the crowd.

rogue #1860571 (@Debichan) Fantastic turn out for Hobart, looked like a massive crowd to me - thanks to all who raised their voices to protest the injustice the continues today! #InvasionDay pic.twitter.com/JytTdxW7wm

In Adelaide, several hundred people gathered on the steps of Parliament House. The Aboriginal elder Tauto Sansbury told the crowd that recognising the hurt caused by celebrating on the day the first fleet arrived must be the start of a wider conversation.

“People have said there’s other issues to deal with, well no there’s not,” he said. “This is the first one that breaks down the barriers. Then we can move on to all of the other things that are not right for Aboriginal people.”

Rightwing activists protested outside a citizenship ceremony in Melbourne’s north, wearing Australian flags and handing out flyers.



The group, numbering just six, included convicted racial vilifier Neil Erikson. The group said they were protesting against the council’s decision not to include the phrase “Australia Day” in its citizenship ceremony.

Malcolm Turnbull earlier insisted that not many people wanted the date of Australia Day to be changed.

“You know, the overwhelming majority of Australians are celebrating Australia Day like we all are here today,” the prime minister said. “They are just in love with our nation, with our story, with our people, with our success – the most successful multicultural society in the world.”

Bill Shorten said Australia Day should not become an “idiot magnet” for anyone. Shorten acknowledge the day presented a chance to celebrate but also caused significant hurt to Indigenous people.

“Today’s a great day for all the new citizens but it is also is a day of great pain, in particular for all of our first Australians,” he said.

