Different ideas about what Australian unity looks like on January 26
More than 300 Australian citizens were sworn in at ceremonies across WA today. Meanwhile, Perth's CBD saw huge crowds turn out for an Invasion Day rally, reflecting scenes across the country, calling for the date of Australia Day to be changed.
Transcript
00:00 You are in the best state, in the best country in the world.
00:09 The Premier welcoming the country's new citizens who've chosen Western Australia as their home.
00:20 I've been here for 18 years and I came when I was 18, so I've been here most of my life
00:25 and I call this home.
00:28 This is very exciting, I'm very honoured, this is very emotional, it's a beautiful country,
00:33 it's beautiful to be here.
00:38 The Governor says it's a day of unity, bringing different cultures together here in WA.
00:46 You've made an election to be part of Australia and while there's some debate over it, in
00:52 fact even the date that we celebrate Australia Day today, but this is a day of hope, this
00:58 is a day for our future and a day that we should celebrate together as one.
01:03 But there are different ideas about what that unity looks like.
01:10 You can see this huge crowd behind me here in Perth, CBD really mirrors that groundswell
01:15 of support that we've seen around the country to abolish or change the date of Australia
01:20 Day but organisers at this rally say that's just one part of a much bigger puzzle of how
01:26 to address the systemic disadvantages faced by First Nations Australians.
01:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]