August 31 protests vowing to ‘take our country back' have no place in Australia, leading ministers say
Flyers for rallies saying 'it's time to take our country back', 'defend our culture' and 'stop mass migration now' have gone viral on social media.
A website linked to the march suggests events will be held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide.
It says: 'Australia is changing in ways most of us never agreed to. People are waking up to a country they barely recognise. Endless migration, weak leadership, and political cowardice have brought us here, and it's time to put a stop to it.'
The event is being promoted by far-right users on social media and much of the rhetoric on the March for Australia site is anti-migrant, claiming 'mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together'.
Dr Aly, who was born in Egypt before immigrating to Australia at just two years old, said movements grounded in racism had 'no place in modern Australia'.
She told NewsWire: 'Multiculturalism is an integral and valued part of our national identity.
'We stand with all Australians, no matter where they were born, against those who seek to divide us and who seek to intimidate migrant communities. We will not be intimidated.
'This brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism has no place in modern Australia.'
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the Rally For Australia was un-Australian.
'There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion,' he said.
'We stand with modern Australia against these rallies - nothing could be less Australian.'
More than eight million people living in Australia at the time of the last census were born overseas, but the proportion of those born overseas was 31.5 per cent, less than the 32.4 per cent recorded in 1891, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
While locations for the protests have yet to be shared, the protests are being promoted through social media.
In lengthy posts shared through the March for Australia Instagram page, organisers have rejected associations with the alt-right 'National Socialist Network, White Australia, or Thomas Sewell Uncensored,' adding that organisers come from a 'diverse range of political backgrounds'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
7 hours ago
- ABC News
Uncertainty still surrounds government pay deals with police, teachers, and nurses and midwives
Most people know at least one nurse, midwife, police officer or teacher. They make up a tick over 63 per cent of Queensland's key frontline workforce, and right now the state government is negotiating new pay deals with all of them. Griifith University industrial relations expert Ben French said dealing with three such influential groups all at once put the government in a "tricky spot". The situation is a result of enterprise bargaining agreements "rolling over" during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Now they've all come up at the same time for the new government," Dr French said. It's been tough going for negotiators. The police union has agreed in-principle to a deal, but the government is in conciliation with both the nurses' and the teachers' unions in front of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC). In early August, teachers across the state went on strike for the first time in 16 years. Earlier in the month, nurses and midwives took industrial action by refusing to do tasks not related to critical care. Pandanus Petter from Australian National University's School of Business and Politics said as opposition leader, David Crisafulli was keen to paint himself as someone who would not repeat "the mistakes of the Newman era". "He positioned himself as someone who was not going to radically cut the public service," Dr Petter said. "He was saying, 'You know, what I want to do is empower the public service.' The government has offered an 8 per cent raise over three years to the police and teachers, while nurses and midwives have been offered an 11 per cent wage rise. This "fairly prescriptive model" has come with various add-ons and extras for each industry, Dr French said. He said these one-off payments "that are not part of the actual increase" are a way the government can save money down the track. "If you get a pay rise and you get an increase, it's on the base rate … the next time you come around your base rate is higher and you can build on that," he said, adding bonus payments did not feed into employees' super or overtime. Already those differing extras have caused friction. The Queensland Nurses' and Midwives' Union (QNMU) publicly derided the government for offering some police officers an $8,000 retention bonus over two years. Secretary Sarah Beaman said it was "outrageous" that the government had already struck a "better deal" with the police union after months of negotiating with the QNMU. The nurses and midwives EBA nominally ended on March 31, while the teachers and police ended on June 30. "Does this government have a problem with nurses and midwives?" Ms Beaman asked. Dr French said none of the three deals were set in stone. The state legislation allows for six months of negotiations from the day the EBA nominally ends or three months from the beginning of conciliation. After that, the parties can apply for arbitration, where the QIRC will decide what's fair. In the case of nurses and midwives, who are chasing a 13 per cent wage rise they say will deliver "nation-leading pay", the last scheduled conciliation meeting is September 2. At the behest of QIRC deputy president John Merrell, the QNMU agreed to pause industrial action until then, but said they would take further steps if negotiations failed. The Queensland Teachers' Union sent a letter to members on Thursday, seen by the ABC, confirming they had given the government until the end of the month to come up with a better deal or risk further strike action. QTU vice president Leah Olsen said more work stoppages would be a "last resort" option for the union, adding the union's members did "not take industrial action lightly". "Further strike action during school hours can be avoided if the government delivers a package members see value in," Ms Olsen said. As for the police, while there is an in-principle deal in place, union members still have to vote on whether to approve it next month. "My guess is they will vote it down," Dr French said. Both Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek and Health Minister Tim Nicholls have expressed their commitment to getting deals over the line through the conciliation process. Mr Langbroek said the government met with QTU negotiators 18 times over five months before the conciliation process began. The QNMU said they had met with the government for a total of more than 150 hours before they took industrial action last month. Dr Petter said with an election just gone there was little political risk for the government to come off as "tough but fair" in this round of negotiations. However, if three-year deals were signed all round, the next time they would be negotiating would be in the lead up to the 2028 election.
SBS Australia
7 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Israelis stage nationwide protests to demand end to Gaza war and release of hostages
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv to call for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, one of the largest demonstrations in Israel since October 2023. The rally was the culmination of a day of nationwide protests and a general strike to pressure the government to halt the military campaign. "Bring them all home! Stop the war!" shouted the vast crowd which had converged on the so-called Hostage Square in Tel Aviv plaza — a focal point for protesters throughout the war. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the initiator of the day of protest, estimated that about 500,000 people joined the evening demonstration in Tel Aviv — a figure not confirmed by the police. "We demand a comprehensive and achievable agreement and an end to the war. We demand what is rightfully ours — our children," said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan and a leading figure of the protest movement. "The Israeli government has transformed a just war into a pointless war," she told the crowd. Demonstrators have called for an end to the war in Gaza at widespread protests in Israel. Source: AP / Ohad Zwigenberg National media published a video message by Matan Zangauker, in which the hostage, weak and emaciated, addressed his family and told them he missed them. The video was filmed by Hamas and found in Gaza by the army, the family said. "This is probably the last minute we have to save the hostages," demonstrator Ofir Penso, 50, said. Netanyahu and Smotrich criticise protests The protests come more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to capture Gaza City , 22 months into a war that has created a dire humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group vowed that protesters would "shut down the country" with the goal of bringing back the hostages and ending the war. Throughout the country, demonstrators blocked traffic arteries, set tyres on fire and clashed with the police. More than 30 protesters were arrested, law enforcement said. The protests came following the Israeli government's decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip. Source: AP / Maya Levin In Jerusalem's main shopping district, it was business as usual. A shop assistant in the city centre said the owner supported the campaign for the hostages' return but chose not to participate in the strike. "Everyone is helping the way they can," she said, declining to give her name. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the protesters, saying their actions "not only harden Hamas's position and draw out the release of our hostages, but also ensure that the horrors of October 7 will reoccur". Egypt said in recent days mediators were leading a renewed push to secure a 60-day truce deal that includes hostages being released, after the last round of talks in Qatar ended without a breakthrough. Some Israeli government members who oppose any deal with Hamas also criticised the demonstrations. Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich decried "a perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas" and calls for "surrender". However, Benny Gantz, an opposition leader, condemned the government for "attacking the families of the hostages" while "bearing responsibility for the captivity of their children by Hamas for nearly two years".
ABC News
8 hours ago
- ABC News
Israelis stage nationwide protests to demand end to Gaza war and release of hostages
With drums and horns blaring, hundreds of thousands of passionate Israelis have shouted in protest on the streets of Tel Aviv. It's a common refrain, uttered week after week in hostage square for almost two years now. But Sunday's protest conveyed more urgency than normal. Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have expressed their urgent fears that Israel's expanded, looming offensive could kill their loved ones. "Every bullet, every strike, could be the one to end their life," a voice rang out to the crowd. "End the war and end the suffering." "This is a very critical stage in Israel," Danny Kalmanson, who attended the protest, told the ABC. "We can't continue endlessly, we're losing all these people. "Israel can afford to say let's have a ceasefire now, bring them home." Organisers say at least 350 thousand people attended Sunday night's rally, calling for the war to end immediately and for a deal to be reached to release the hostages. There are 50 Israelis still held captive in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Signs held by protesters called on US President Donald Trump to "save" Israel from its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Naama Gild said she was there to support the families of hostages. "We don't want to be here every weekend, we just want them home," she said. "I think some of the [politicians] don't listen, I think [Prime Minister Benjamin] Bibi Netanyahu is doing an awful disservice to Israel at this point. "They need to listen up, because nothing changes." Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of hostage Omri Miran, was also among those promoting the event earlier on Sunday. "The mobilisation from the bottom up is amazing, thousands of private companies, alongside the Histadrut [the Israeli workers' union], will allow their employees to stop everything and dedicate the entire day for our dear ones," Ms Miran-Lavi said. "The support is enormous and moving us to tears. "We feel that everyone understands that the struggle is not private to the families, but to the entire people of Israel." She insisted Sunday's protests were just the beginning of the actions. While Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were the focal points for many of the rallies, protesters took to highways and intersections across the country to make their point heard. At one stage Highway One between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, one of the busiest routes in Israel, was shut down after tyres were strewn across the road and set on fire. At least 30 protesters were detained by police. At the start of his weekly government meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised those pushing the nationwide shutdown. "Those who are calling today for an end to the war without the defeat of Hamas are not only strengthening Hamas and delaying the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of October 7 will repeat themselves over and over again, and that our sons and daughters will have to fight over and over again in an endless war," he said. "Therefore, in order both to advance the release of our hostages and to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, we must complete the task and defeat Hamas." While Mr Netanyahu's criticism was directed at a home audience, the Israeli President Isaac Herzog had choice words for the international community. He argued the pressure being put on Israel to end the war was misguided, and ignored the role Hamas played. "Our sons and daughters are there in the dungeons of Gaza for 681 days," he said at Hostage Square on Sunday. "We want them back home as soon as possible. The world should want them back home as soon as possible. "Stop being a bunch of hypocrites. Press, because when you know how to press, you press, press and tell Hamas, 'no deal, no nothing, until you release them'." As the protests demanding the end of the military offensive in Gaza were underway in Israel, the country's military chief was touring the war-ravaged strip. "We will continue to strike until the decisive defeat of Hamas, with the hostages always at the forefront of our minds," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in Gaza. "We will act with a sophisticated, balanced, and responsible strategy. "The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will deploy all its capabilities, on land, in the air, and at sea, in order to strike Hamas decisively." Hamas described the move as "a declaration of a new wave of genocide and mass displacement", and criticised an announcement on Saturday from the IDF it would start delivering tents to the hundreds of thousands of people who would be forced out of Gaza City. "The plans to occupy Gaza and displace its population are a major war crime that reflects the occupation's disregard for international and humanitarian laws," Hamas said in a statement. "The occupation's talk of bringing in tents in southern Gaza under the guise of 'humanitarian arrangements' is a blatant deception aimed at covering up a crime of displacement and an imminent massacre." Egypt late on Sunday said it categorically rejected the "displacement of Palestinians and calls on states not to participate in this heinous crime". Gaza's health authorities say more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, which is rapidly approaching its second anniversary. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been forced to move repeatedly during the war, as Israeli attacks against claimed Hamas targets have left few parts of the strip untouched. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. ABC with wires
