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TRANSCRIPT
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomes Australia's newest citizens
- Rallies around the country amid debate over the date of Australia Day
- Tour Down Under winner Jay Vine talks about the kangaroo crash that almost derailed the race
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for unity on Australia Day, saying it is a chance for reflection on why "we are all lucky to call Australia home".
He welcomed the country's newest citizens at the annual Flag Raising and Citizenship ceremony in Canberra.
Close to 19,000 people from more than 150 countries are becoming Australian citizens today; at one of 325 citizenship ceremonies being held around the country.
Mr Albanese says becoming an Australian citizen is a special and important moment.
"Because at the very heart of the pledge that you make today to our laws, to our values, and to our people is the respect for our common humanity that defines Australia. Love not hate. Hope not fear. Optimism not negativity. And indeed - unity not division."
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Opposing rallies are being held across the country, with people gathering in Australian capital cities to support or condemn the date of Australia Day.
Dunghutti man Paul Silva is one of the organisers of an Invasion Day rally in Sydney.
He says January 26 should not be Australia's national day.
"Uniting the country and moving forward as one. To actually come up toward the government and government corruption. I honestly believe an abolishment of the day is the missing piece of the puzzle. And it is the way moving forward for indigenous people and everyday Australians."
Protesters are also gathering at sites across Australia for anti-immigration rallies, as police warn officers have been deployed in numbers to stop any anti-social, threatening or intimidating conduct.
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Mutti Mutti singer-songwriter Kutcha Edwards says today is a day of mourning for him and other First Nations Australians.
A member of the Stolen Generations, Mr Edwards says the experience of being forcibly removed from his family when he was 18 months old left a lasting negative impact.
He is gathering for the Share the Spirit festival of First Nations music, art and culture in Narrm Melbourne.
He told NITV Radio, he chooses to acknowledge the past and look forward to the future.
"14th of January each year is my mother's birthday and I sit reflect and I wonder what the world would have been like if I did grow up with my mum. We celebrate our survival. And you wish for a better day that one day non-Indigenous Australia would realise that wow - that we do celebrate our arrival to this country at the expense of original inhabitants here."
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Migrant community leaders are among those who have been recognised for their contributions to the nation.
Some 680 people have been named recipients of an Order of Australia Medal, as part of the annual Australia Day honours list.
John Nour is being acknowledged for his service to the Coptic Orthodox Church and to the Egyptian community.
He told SBS Arabic, after living in Australia for the past 45 years, he treasures this honour.
"I had lots of fears. When you live in a new country, you can't just take it for granted, but you really have to build a relationship, build rapport, make new friends, find out where the opportunities are. So I had a lot of challenges when I came and I was all by myself and I was not in a fantastic financial position, but I built myself from scratch all the way up and it all pays off when you work hard, what is good about Australia, you work hard, you get rewarded."
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Pope Leo XIV has again called for an end to war in Ukraine, as the country meets with US and Russian delegates for peace talks.
Using his latest address to those gathered in St Peter's Square, the pontiff mourned for the suffering and said he was following the hostilities with sorrow.
Speaking after weekend talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a US document on security guarantees for Ukraine is completely ready - and his government is waiting for a time and place for it to be signed.
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To sport and in cycling,
Jay Vine has spoken about the chaotic end to his victorious Tour Down Under in Adelaide.
Vine claimed a second career overall victory by finishing in the main group - but not everyone made it to the finish line.
It was a chaotic final stage, with kangaroos breaking into the peloton as it made its way around the town of Stirling.
The animals bounded into the pack, knocking a number of riders off their bikes and leaving several with injuries that saw them abandon the race.
Fortunately for Vine, he was able to re-mount and salvage the day.
"Everyone asks me, what is the most dangerous thing in Australia? And I always tell them it is kangaroos. Just, two of them blasted through the peloton as we were probably doing 50 kilometres an hour. And one of them stopped and went, left-right left-right and I ended up hitting its backside."
