Invasion Day rally to proceed in Sydney under tightened protest rules

NSW Police have confirmed Sydney’s main Invasion Day rally will go ahead today – after an exemption was created to controversial protest restrictions introduced in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has extended a Public Assembly Restriction Declaration (PARD) across parts of Sydney for another two weeks, using new powers passed by the NSW Parliament on 24 December 2025 following the attack in which 15 people were killed. The declaration temporarily stops police from authorising public assemblies under the Summary Offences Act in affected areas, removing legal protections that usually apply to notified protests that obstruct traffic or pedestrians.

After criticism from civil liberties groups and First Nations organisers, Lanyon said he had “significantly limited” the restricted zone so it now covers Darling Harbour, the northern CBD (excluding Hyde Park) and the eastern suburbs. This change means the annual Invasion Day rally will be able to gather at Hyde Park and march south along College Street towards Victoria Park under “managed” conditions.

“It’s about getting the balance right between community safety and a right to protest” Lanyon said, adding that the protest planned by First Nations organisers would be facilitated rather than stopped. He has indicated about 1,500 officers will be deployed across Sydney on 26 January, with a significant presence around Hyde Park and other protest sites.

The Blak Caucus, which is organising the Sydney march with guidance from Gadigal Elders, has welcomed the exemption but remains critical of the broader restrictions. “We’re not here to cause any harm to the police or anyone in society,” Blak Caucus member Elizabeth Jarrett told AAP ahead of the decision, urging officers to “respectfully stand aside and let us march.”

Although the PARD does not formally ban gatherings, it prevents organisers from lodging Form 1 notifications that normally shield participants from prosecution for peacefully blocking roads, and allows police to issue move‑on directions even at static protests. Those powers sit on top of earlier 2022 laws that made unauthorised protests on major roads or near key facilities punishable by fines up to $22,000 or two years in prison.

The same exemption that covers the Invasion Day rally also allows a separate anti‑immigration “March for Australia” event, organised outside the restricted zone, to proceed if police conditions are met. Authorities say they will not tolerate hate speech or violence at any of the events, with specialist units and long‑arm weapons authorised at selected venues under Operation Australia Day 2026.