Invasion Day rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will protest Indigenous ... trends now
The annual 'Invasion Day' protests against January 26 as the date of Australia Day have taken a surprise turn, with thousands of protesters set to rally against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.
Indigenous rights rallies held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on January 26 will protest against the Federal Government's plan for a national vote on introducing an advisory body for Aboriginal affairs into the constitution.
That's because rally organisers - including Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe's sister Meriki Onus, who is involved in planning the Melbourne protest - are calling for a national Voice to come only after a Treaty between Indigenous people and Australian governments.
Greens Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe (left) has fiercely opposed and openly criticised the Voice to Parliament. Her activist sister, Meriki, has confirmed the Melbourne Invasion Day protest will feature the theme 'Treaty Before Voice'
Greens senator Lidia Thorpe's sister Meriki Onus (pictured) will lead thousands in Melbourne's Invasion Day rally on January 26
Over 250 Indigenous leaders endorsed the Voice during the Uluru dialogues in 2017, however a small group of delegates including Senator Thorpe walked out in protest.
Ms Onus, the co-founder of activist group Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, has confirmed 'Treaty Before Voice' is the theme of this year's rally in Melbourne, Nine newspapers reported.
Meanwhile, posters advertising the Brisbane march state: 'Sovereignty never ceded. Treaty before a Voice to Parliament!'
Sydney rally co-organiser Gwenda Stanley has reportedly slammed the referendum as a waste of money and adopted 'sovereignty before Voice' as the
