Amy Ying Yee Ting has spent more of her life in Australia than in her native Malaysia.

On a memorable Monday, she joined 22 others in taking a significant step by becoming an Australian citizen during a ceremony held in Canberra.

Describing the experience to SBS News, Ting expressed her emotions, calling it a “magical moment.”

“I have chosen this place, and this place has chosen me. It’s amazing,” she shared with a sense of fulfillment.

The ceremony, which was covered by SBS News and captured by Alexandra Jones, marked a new beginning for Ting and her fellow new Australians.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who attended the ceremony in Canberra, told the 23 new Australians that they had “come to a country where democracy is not just a platitude but something which is practised”.

“Whether we are Australian by birth or by choice we all share the opportunity, the privilege and also the responsibility of being part of something quite extraordinary,” he said.

“A nation built with hope and hard work, aspiration and determination, a society guided by freedom and fairness, compassion and courage.”

On Monday, more than 300 ceremonies were held across Australia to welcome 18,800 new citizens from over 150 countries.

Thousands of people also turned out to competing rallies, including Invasion Day rallies in every capital city. The date has attracted an annual protest since 1938, when First Nations people inaugurated a Day of Mourning.

March for Australia rallies, whose attendees have raised concerns about immigration and cost of living pressures, also saw turnouts across major cities.

Two men were arrested over separate incidents in Perth and Sydney. In Perth’s CBD, Invasion Day demonstrators were told to leave the area after a man was alleged to have thrown a device into the crowd. Police are investigating whether it was an explosive.

Police said they arrested a 31-year-old man and recovered a device made of ball bearings and screws, wrapped around an “unidentified liquid” in a glass container.

The device did not explode and nobody was hurt. The man has not been charged.

“Forensics are currently doing what they need to do to identify what that liquid is,” WA Police commissioner Col Blanch told reporters in Perth. He said there was no ongoing threat to the community.

A man who attended a rally in Sydney is facing charges of publicly inciting racial hatred.

“We will allege that the language he used, his presence, was clearly and unequivocally assigned with neo-Nazi ideology,” NSW Police assistant commissioner Brett McFadden told reporters.

Calls to change the date reignite

Large crowds braved extreme heat in parts of the nation to rally for changing the date of Australia Day or replacing it with a day of mourning.

In Melbourne, participants of the Invasion Day protest rallied outside Victoria’s Parliament House.

“[This is] to recognise that this land was colonised on this date, so that First People have time and the space to grieve and come together,” community organiser Tarneen Onus Browne said.

In Sydney, the Invasion Day march drew a heavy police presence as tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in the CBD.

The march, which also attracted pro-Palestine activists, had a strong focus on Indigenous deaths in custody.

Gomeroi woman Gwenda Stanley says for her, today is a day of mourning — and she takes heart from the thousands who have attended Invasion Day rallies around the country.

“Today is about a day of mourning. In 1838, the Australia Day Waterloo creek Massacre happened. So since 1838 we have been mourning,” she said.

“This is a day about acknowledging the past. But also it has been a trauma that has been embedded with us. So we are mourning — not only today but every other day. It is just that this day of all days is what triggers their traumas.”

Anti-immigration protests held amid heatwaves

In metropolitan and regional cities, March for Australia protests also took place as hundreds waved Australian flags.

Brief clashes between opposing protest groups were reported in several cities.

At the March for Australia rally in Melbourne, chants of “deportation” and “send them back” were heard as attendees waved Australian flags and carried signs supporting Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party.

As the group moved towards the steps of state parliament, loud boos erupted as protesters passed the Immigration Museum.

Hanson spoke at the rally in Brisbane, telling the crowd: “I’ve never felt so honoured and proud as I am to be here today.”

“Thank you for flying the Australian flag and showing pride in our country.”

Supporters attended an anti-immigration rally in Sydney on Australia Day. Source: AAP / Flavio Brancaleone

The protests took place as heatwaves hit Adelaide and Brisbane, which hit 46 degrees and 36 degrees respectively on Monday.

A recent survey by Roy Morgan indicated 72 per cent of respondents support keeping Australia’s national day on 26 January.

An AMES Australia survey of recent migrants and refugees also found strong support for Australia Day, with nearly 80 per cent of 120 respondents saying a national day is important.

While most newcomers planned to mark the day, almost 60 per cent were unaware of the significance of 26 January and many were only beginning to learn the controversy around the dispossession of Indigenous Australians.

— Additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.

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