Thousands join Invasion Day marches around the country

Thousands of people have joined rallies in cities around Australia today, with Invasion Day events scheduled across the country.

January 26, the day Governor Arthur Phillip ran up the British flag at Sydney Cove, is officially Australia Day, but many around the country mark the date as "Invasion Day", recognising the dispossession of Indigenous Australians.

Protests are organised in every Australian capital today, with NSW Police announcing recently they had tweaked the extended protest ban in place in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack, in order to allow activists to march in certain areas of Sydney.

Warning: This article contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died.

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The exclusion zone that was recently imposed in Melbourne's CBD, also following the Bondi attack, will not be in place today.

"There will be a highly visible police presence throughout the CBD, with a number of traffic management points in place," Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill told 9news.com.au.

He said police had been engaging "constructively" with protest organisers.

Some counter-marches are also anticipated.

Sydney march kicks off in Hyde Park

Hundreds of people have gathered in Sydney's Hyde Park to march for Indigenous sovereignty.

There is a heavy police presence, including members of the riot squad, at the Invasion Day protest, which kicked off about 10am today.

The rally began with a moving tribute to Sophie Quinn, an Indigenous woman who was allegedly shot dead by her former partner in Lake Cargelligo in NSW last week.

Quinn's aunt Neruda and her friend John Harris were also killed in the shooting.

Protesters at today's rally are holding signs that read "Stop killing us" and "sovereignty never ceded".

Members of the Palestine Action Group are also in attendance in Hyde Park.

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'Zero tolerance' for hate speech, violence

NSW Premier Chris Minns said police are on high alert today for any protesters who violate federal legislation during the marches in Sydney today.

"There will be no tolerance for violence or hate speech on Sydney streets," Minns said.

"We live in a beautiful multicultural community with people from around the world, but we will not tolerate a situation where, on Australia's national day, it's been pulled down by divisive language, hate speech or racism."

Minns said he was confident protesters would respect exclusion zones and that police had been liaising with organisers for weeks to ensure today goes ahead without incident.

When asked about his plans to tighten protest laws further in NSW, the premier said he had not ruled out introducing stricter legislation.

"I do believe we have to confront this idea that the centre of Sydney can be dominated weekend after weekend after weekend by the same protest," he said.

"People have got a right to protest, but other Australians have a right to enjoy the city.

"My responsibility is to keep the people of NSW safe, and to balance those rights."

He said the state government would also look at changing the scope of hate slogan laws in the wake of federal laws, which were passed in parliament last week.

Recent polls, including from Resolve and Roy Morgan, indicate that support for keeping Australia Day on January 26 is rising.

Roy Morgan found that 72 per cent of respondents agreed Australia Day should retain its current name and date, compared to 28 per cent who disagreed.

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"This is the highest support for Australia Day recorded by Roy Morgan," chief executive Michele Levine said.

"There is majority support for Australia Day retaining its name and date across all age groups, genders, and all states."

However, there remains a political divide, with most Labor and Greens voters saying the date should be changed, while Liberal, National, and One Nation voters hugely supported it.