Australia Day LIVE from Melbourne
The Unshackled Team will be reporting live on the ground in Melbourne this Australia Day to bring you both the celebrations and the protests. Check our Facebook page throughout the day as we will go live whenever a significant development occurs. We will also provide comprehensive written and video reports following the day’s events.
The left’s attacks on Australia Day will culminate with invasion day protests in our major cities but the largest is expected in Melbourne and where Victoria Police is expecting the most trouble. The organizers of the invasion day protest have refused to cooperate with police and the Melbourne City Council as well as refusing to rule out disrupting official Australia Day events.
The True Blue Crew’s Australia Day Barbecue in St Kilda is proceeding and has the full cooperation of the police and the local Port Phillip Council. It will have a heavy police protective presence in uniform, covert and on horses in case of any disturbances. Face coverings have been banned in the St Kilda area.
Victoria Police are on full riot alert and have played out various response and tactic scenarios in preparation for the day and have said there will be zero tolerance for anti-social behavior. It would appear after a number of flare ups at rallies in Melbourne over the past few years that Victoria Police are wanting to demonstrate they can maintain law and order at a time when there is significant community concern about public safety in Melbourne.
The Andrews state government while it officially still supports Australia Day have said that they understand people who feel sadness about the day. If Australia Day in Melbourne is marred by unrest and with the Liberal Opposition announcing its Australia values program in schools and vowing to sack councils who don’t recognize Australia Day it would certainly play on voters minds in an election year given that Australia Day was recently revealed to have 70% voter support.