The vandalism unfolded in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Australia Day is a divisive holiday that critics see as a symbol of racism and oppression.

Tens of thousands of Australians protested over the treatment of Indigenous people on Sunday as the country celebrated a national holiday marking the 1788 arrival of British colonisers. The January 26 national day commemorates the arrival of a British fleet in Sydney Harbour to establish a penal colony.

Australia Day is known to some Indigenous Australians as Invasion Day, symbolising a key moment in the destruction of their cultures by European settlers.

Thousands of people are gathering at Invasion Day rallies across the country, backing calls to abolish or change the date of Australia Day.