Protest and celebration as Australia Day marks the moment 'this land changed forever'

The Sydney Invasion Day rally appears to be proceeding peacefully despite a large police presence and warnings that attendees could face fines or arrest for breaching COVID-19 gathering limits.

A NSW Police spokesperson said the event was "continuing" but declined to give information on crowd numbers or the law enforcement response.

Photos from the rally, in The Domain, appear to show police officers standing on the sidelines of the crowd while a number of Indigenous speakers addressed the rally.

There is currently a 500-person cap on outdoor gatherings in NSW due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A large crowd has gathered outside Parliament House in Canberra to protest Australia Day, with attendees peacefully sitting outside the building to listen to speeches.

NITV reporter Keira Jenkins is reporting live from the event. You can watch NITV's coverage below:

The nephew of David Dungay Jr, a Dunghutti man who died in a Sydney jail in 2015, has called for Australia Day to be abolished at the Sydney Invasion Day rally.

"Racism and discrimination still happens today, and it's been happening since the First Fleet arrived," Paul Silva said.

"This land had over 250 languages, we had our own laws ... it was all ripped away from us when those boats came and stole it from us.

Paul Silva, the nephew of David Dungay Jr, in 2018. Source: AAP

"Our family will continue to demand not just a change of date ... but we want no day to be celebrated when mass murder happened and kids were stolen."

Mr Silva said he was not just fighting for justice for his uncle but all Indigenous people who have died in custody.

More than 430 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are known to have died in custody in Australia since a royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody delivered its final report in 1991.

As things start to get busy, NITV will be broadcasting from 26 January events across the country with reporters on the ground in all state and territories.

You can watch their coverage on Channel 34 or on Facebook. 

Here are the details:

An Invasion Day event in Brisbane's Musgrave Park has also got underway, beginning with the raising of the Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander flags.

SBS News Queensland correspondent Stefan Armbruster is on the ground at the rally:

Like in Sydney, organisers of the Brisbane march have urged attendees to socially distance and wear a mask during the event. A separate Survival Day celebration is planned at Yarrabah, near the northern Queensland city of Cairns.  

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reflected on the date of Australia Day as the day our country changed forever for "better or worse".

"There is no escaping or cancelling that fact," he said in his address at the national flag raising and citizenship ceremony in Canberra, referencing the First Fleet's arrival in Sydney and the beginning of colonisation on this continent. 

"It was the moment where the journey to our modern Australia began, and it is this continuing Australian journey that we recognise today."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during an Australian of the Year morning tea at Parliament House on Monday. Source: AAP

He said Australia's story since then has been one of "sorrow and of joy, of loss and redemption, of failure and success".

"We are now a nation of more than 25 million stories. All important, all unique, and all to be respected," he added.

"Whether it is the story of our First Nations people, a strong, ancient, and proud culture, and their survival, in the face of dispossession, and colonisation, or the forsaken souls who came as convicts, not to start a new world, but because they had been banished from the old one, condemned and outcast by empire, they too overcame.

"The settlers and waves of immigrants who have followed, seeking a better life for themselves and their families, creating a nation in the process. Including the 12,000 people from over 130 nations, who become citizens today.

"These stories don't compete with each other. They simply coexist. They weave together to create Australia."

Meanwhile, in Canberra, the chair of the National Australia Day Council, Danielle Roche, has addressed the national flag raising and citizenship ceremony.

"Australia Day is a day to reflect, respect, and celebrate," she said.

"The past 12 months have thrown every imaginable challenge to our nation. We live on beautiful country, and as Australians, we accept that living among such beauty comes with harsh conditions. 

"Twelve months ago, Australia was only beginning to emerge from a summer of bushfires unprecedented in our lifetimes. Not before the last fires had been extinguished, coronavirus reached our shores. In a few short months, it would go on to become a global pandemic, putting our society, our economy, and our people under unthinkable strain. Australians did what Australians do in times of crisis, we came together, we responded as one, with compassion, empathy, and with courage.

"Today we reflect on the sacrifice of thousands of front-line workers who kept our people safe and kept our nation going. We reflect on the resilience of our communities, and the spirit of helping, giving and supporting, that defines us as Australians. And we respect the efforts and sacrifices each Australian has made, because we're all part of the story."

An attendee at the Sydney Invasion Day protest has tweeted that more than 3,000 people are in attendance, despite coronavirus gathering limits of 500 people outdoors.

Attendees have been encouraged to socially-distance during the event and wear masks. 

NSW Police have previously indicated that anyone who attends a protest in defiance of COVID-19 rules could be fined or arrested. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has arrived at the national flag raising and citizenship ceremony in Canberra, where 25 new citizens will be welcomed to the country. 

Governor-General David Hurley will also attend the event, which takes place every year on the bank of Lake Burley Griffin.

Organisers of the Sydney Invasion Day rally, scheduled to begin at 9am in The Domain, have urged attendees to turn-up in masks, socially distance and register their attendance after police warned people could be fined or arrested if the event breaches coronavirus restrictions.

More than 7,000 people have so far registered their attendance on the Facebook event page, despite COVID-19 restrictions currently barring outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people.

But organisers say the peaceful protest will be conducted in COVID-safe manner, with more than 100 coronavirus marshals on hand to ensure social distancing. Anyone who is sick has been urged to stay home, while those coming should wear masks and bring hand sanitiser. 

The rally will begin in The Domain, a large open-air park in Sydney's CBD, before marching through the city. 

"There can be no celebrations while the system continues to kill our people and destroy our lands. Our sovereignty has never been ceded," Aunty Rhonda Grovenor Dixon said. 

"On this platform we can come together to unite and make 2021 a year when we start to see real change. 2020 been full of crisis and pain, first with fires, then with the pandemic. Join us at Djarrbarrgali [The Domain] for healing, for resistance, this will be our year."

Hello and welcome to the SBS News live blog!

My name is Maani Truu and I'll be bringing you live updates from across the country as Australians come together to mark 26 January with protest and celebration. 

While traditional events will be scaled down due to coronavirus restrictions, there will still be plenty happening throughout the day. 

Thousands of people are expected to turn-out for Invasion Day marches in capital cities despite gathering restrictions, with the first rally expected to begin in The Domain in Sydney at 9am. 

NITV will also be presenting a selection of dedicated programming, special events and news highlights with a focus on encouraging greater understanding of Indigenous Australian perspectives today.

You can keep up with their live coverage of 26 January events on the NITV Facebook and Twitter pages. Join the conversation using the hashtag #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe.