Thousands rally for 'Invasion Day' protests on Australia Day holiday - Reuters
In Sydney, the capital of New South Wales - Australia's most populous state - social media showed a large crowd gathered at an "Invasion Day" rally in the central business district, where some people carried Aboriginal flags and an Indigenous smoking ceremony took place.
Speaking at a flag-raising and citizenship ceremony in Australia's capital, Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese honoured the nation's Indigenous people, who have occupied the land for at least 65,000 years.An annual poll by market research company Roy Morgan released this week showed nearly two-thirds of Australians say Jan. 26 should be considered "Australia Day", largely unchanged from a year ago.Many of Australia's 880,000 or so Indigenous people out of a population of 25 million lag behind others on economic and social indicators in what the government calls " entrenched inequality".This year's holiday comes as Albanese's centre-left Labor Party government plans a referendum on recognising Indigenous people in the constitution, and requiring consultation with them on decisions that affect their lives.The government plans to introduce legislation in March to set up the referendum that will take place later this year, as the Indigenous voice shapes as a key federal political issue.