Australia news live: Lidia Thorpe urges Labor to ‘come to the table’ and implement existing recommendations before voice to parliament | Australia news

At the annual Yabun Festival in Victoria Park, many of the attendees of the Invasion Day Rally line up for food or drinks, or enjoy the music and performances.

Many have taken to sitting under trees for shade under the intense heat, with Sydney facing one of its hottest day in years.

Attendees say the speeches at today’s rally has solidified their “no” vote at the upcoming referendum on the Voice to Parliament.

Lillyandra Laurie said she was adamant she would be voting against the referendum, adding that she supported the sentiment at the rally.

I already knew for sure I would be voting no. They don’t support us so we don’t support them.

The opposition to the voice was good, because they don’t listen to us. We’re the only ones who can determine whats best for us, and the voice won’t be achieving that.

All these politicians have good intentions when they get into Parliament, but they change their views real quick and they don’t know what they stand for.

Timothy Boney-Stewart said that land rights were a more important issue that a Voice to Parliament, that it might be a forward step but that there were more pressing issues to address.

The voice is going to be too biased, it won’t reflect how we really feel. It would be white-washed.

There is no treaty signed, they are still here illegally. We need our land back, and we need a treaty within ourselves, within our 300 nations, before we can go engaging with anyone else.

Cait Kelly

Melbourne Invasion Day rally crowd undecided on voice referendum

In the crowd people are undecided if they will support a voice.

There’s some confusion on what it actually is, others are mad it’s not treaty first and many people just can’t answer.

One participant in the rally, who can’t be named because they work for the government, says they want treaty but would vote for the voice – if they understood what it would mean for the community.

They say:

Often the government comes out with these wise ideas, they don’t translate into a way [so we] can see the benefit.

They present it in a westernised manner. They can’t say what it’s going to do for the community in the future.

Another demonstrator says they support treaty before voice but will wait to hear from Indigenous leaders like Senator Lidia Thorpe to decide their vote.

They say:

I absolutely support treaty before the voice because I think blak sovereignty is crucial to blak liberation.

I’ll most likely vote yes but I’ll see what our First Nations people have to say on it.

Vote yes to voice, elder urges at Alice Springs Survival Day gathering

Sarah Collard

The Central Arrernte and Mudburra elder Pat Ansell Dodds is speaking about the upcoming vote in the referendum for an Indigenous voice to parliament and is urging people to vote yes.

You need to vote yes.

We need to have our own voice to tell our story to Australia, we need that, we are the people that can tell you the proper story of Australia.

Give us a chance to live our own lives and share our culture and language with our children … it’s so important to us and our children and young people.

Get out of our way and let us do our thing, we can resolve our problems with support from others.

When we ask for your support we don’t need you to come in here and tell us how to resolve our problems, big and small.

Sarah Collard

Crowds gather to commemorate Survival Day in Alice Springs

The Arrernte woman Sabella Kngwarraye Turner has welcomed a crowd of about 120 people in Mparntwe.

Speaking in Arrernte language, she remembers the pain and suffering brought by colonisation and dispossession, and says the day is not about “division, it’s about us coming together” and healing.

The Central Arrernte and Mudburra elder Pat Ansell Dodds also speaks at the rally, thanking everyone for coming to honour the day with her and traditional owners.

Dodds says:

Our history started with this, we are the last place that white men came to … it was devastating for us.

As Alice Springs has become a flashpoint in recent days, with renewed alcohol restrictions and a surge in antisocial behaviour and crime,Dodds says this is a result of the Northern Territory intervention and people need to get back on Country.

The kids that’s walking out on the streets, they need to go home on a country where they come from – they don’t come from here.

You gotta be on your country. Learn your culture, make these kids strong.

Turner urges the community to come together and tackle the social problems together as well as address issues such as lack of employment, housing, education and disadvantage.

Can’t go around implementing rules, and not talking to the community … alcohol, crime, domestic violence, we need to address this together, children have rights … Alice Springs has a huge culture and be strong like their ancestors and we need to be strong for our little ones.

We live in this community and we need to be heard and come together and respect each other.

Mostafa Rachwani

Sydney Invasion Day rally shapes opinions on voice referendum

As the Sydney Invasion Day march makes its way to Broadway, for the annual Yabun festival, attendees say they feel the rally has impacted how they see the referendum on the voice to parliament.

A number say they feel they need to do more research before they are certain of how they will vote, but many say the speeches today have them inclined to vote no.

Connor Jackson says today’s rally and the speeches have helped shape his opinion, saying it has allowed him to see the “bigger picture”.

I understand how there could be mixed opinions on the referendum, but I feel me, here today at this protest for First Nations people, it’s my responsibility to listen to what they have to say, and they’re saying something like this is a knee-jerk reaction that will put more control in the hands of the government.

And I am one to listen to that. I’m here for them, and that’s my responsibility. After hearing the speakers today, I will probably do what they say, but will also likely do a little more research myself.

Malika Green says the speeches have “absolutely” affected how she will vote at the referendum, but stopped short of saying her vote was a certain no at this stage.

I have decisions to make around the vote – in some ways the voice is a step in the right direction and in some ways it isn’t. I have a lot to think about though.

Everyone was on point speaking about their own rights. My ancestry in Australia is colonial, so I take a really deep and personal stake in being silent, listening and doing what needs to be done today, which includes marching and fighting for change.

Elias Visontay

Jetstar passengers stranded in Japan by snowstorms

Passengers on a Jetstar flight from Osaka to Cairns are among thousands of travellers to have been stranded by heavy snowstorms across Japan.

The Jetstar flight was scheduled to depart Osaka at about 9pm local time on Wednesday, however it was initially delayed as flight crew were unable to reach Kansai international airport due to a snowstorm that also cancelled hundreds of flights across Japan.

An airline spokesperson said:

The flight was initially delayed as a result of heavy snow fall which closed the only bridge connecting Kansai international airport to mainland Osaka, preventing our crew getting to the airport.

The bridge has since reopened, but the Jetstar flight was again delayed.

A problem with the aircraft’s PA system unfortunately caused a further delay and we will always put safety before schedule.

The flight was due to depart Osaka at 10am local time on Thursday.

Passengers stranded at the airport terminal vented their frustration at the initial delay via social media, however Jetstar said it had since arranged hotel rooms for the roughly 250 affected travellers. Those who booked their own accommodation would be reimbursed, the airline said.

We’re very sorry for the delays to this flight. We appreciate it’s been a frustrating experience while we worked to get customers on their way as quickly as possible.

Mostafa Rachwani

Sydney Invasion Day rally shapes people’s views on the voice

Protesters at the Sydney Invasion Day rally say they feel the opposition to the voice to parliament at the rally is shaping their opinions.

A majority of the attendees said they felt the strong opposition in speeches given before the march had affected how they thought they were going to vote at the referendum.

Caitlin Denley said she was proud of how much the Invasion Day rallies had grown, and added that she believed the voice to parliament was a measure that ignored Australia’s history.

I think it’s ridiculous. How can you look at Australia and our Indigenous history and just ignore that, it doesn’t make sense. We learn about the massacres and the awful history of Australia, so how can we support that with that in mind.

So I will be voting no.

Thomas Magory said he was not really uncertain, but attending the rally today had cemented his no vote. He said land rights was the only true way forward.

They don’t want to be a pawn in a system that has been oppressing them for years and years. They feel they are being turned into a political weapon, they don’t feel heard. And I share their position, especially after hearing them today.

It was a unified and strong position. The women who spoke today were so strong, it was so powerful.

Ben Smee

‘You have the power to make it happen,’ Brisbane Invasion Day rally hears of recognising First Nations people in the constitution

Wayne Wharton, an activist and the leader of the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy, gave a uniquely passionate speech at the city’s Invasion Day rally, calling for a treaty and constitutional recognition.

One thing we’ve got to look at – and this is a message to our non-First Nations people … there are good black fellas and there are fucking arseholes. You’ve got to make a decision.

There’s always choices people have to make. Where we go from here, what the next six months will be [about] is about constitutional change. We wanted constitutional change since they came up with the constitution in 1901 – our freedom, our sovereignty enshrined in the constitution of this country.

You have the power to make it happen.

It doesn’t matter what your colours are, but there are two types. You’re either an accomplice or an ally. Australia is a crime scene.

There was a war. I want Peter Dutton to hear this. I want John Howard to hear this. I want the National party to hear it. There was a war.

Stop the war (chanting). This is our mission, this is what we have to do. Constitutional change is what we want. We want our birthright, we want our freedom, enshrined in the constitution. If it’s by the way of a treaty or 300 treaties, that’s what’s got to happen.

Taking questions, Anthony Albanese is asked about the anti-voice sentiment being expressed today:

I’m not going to engage in that sort of partisan politics, whether it’s Lidia Thorpe or others. The voice is a very clear proposition that will be put to the Australian people later this year. The first part of that is in recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s First Peoples. That is where recognition comes in, and it is something missing from our nation’s constitution, and I say this, if not now when?

If not now, when will this change occur and if not the people of Australia this year, who will make this change, which will improve our country, improve our national unity. And this is an opportunity for Australia, it’s one that I sincerely hope that Australia doesn’t miss.

Asked about whether he supports changing the date of Australia Day, the prime minister says:

I have one major change that I want. And I would say to people as well, who are contemplating what their response will be to what has been put forward, that can you imagine next year the counterfactual – either we will have a constitution on Australia Day that recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as our First Peoples in this country, that will be an act of reconciliation, or, if the referendum is not successful, I think people know that will not be a moment that shows respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; that I think doesn’t show the maturity of us as a nation, non-Indigenous Australia of who we are, acknowledging the fullness and richness of our history but also the way we are perceived by the world as well.