A city of two tales: New citizens welcomed while Invasion Day protesters rally

Hundreds of new citizens have been welcomed at a ceremony in Brisbane City Hall on Sunday morning, while thousands gathered nearby for the annual Invasion Day protest march.

Five hundred people from 70 countries packed the hall to become Australian citizens in the first of 11 such ceremonies scheduled in Brisbane for 2025.

The top five countries for new citizens were India (88), New Zealand (63), China (33), South Africa (15), and Taiwan (15).

“For many of our new citizens, this ceremony marks the culmination of a long road to becoming Australians and is a significant milestone in their lives,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“I’m always touched to hear their stories and that they chose to call Brisbane home because of our incredible lifestyle, hospitality, opportunity, and how we embrace diversity and multiculturalism.”

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In contrast to the lord mayor’s Australia Day citizenship ceremony, thousands gathered down the road at Queens Gardens to take part in the annual Invasion Day rally, one of many protests held in capital cities and regional centres around the country today.

Event organisers say January 26 – the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 – is not a day to celebrate, but is a day of mourning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Brisbane event began with speeches in the gardens before thousands of people marched across Victoria Bridge towards Musgrave Park in South Brisbane to chants of “always was, always will be, Aboriginal land”.