Police deploy pepper spray and dodge projectiles as protests held in Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and Brisbane
- Follow the Australia coronavirus blog
- NSW Covid cases exceed 50,000 since pandemic began as ACT records 15 new infections
- New Doherty modelling advises ‘medium’ Covid restrictions until 80% vaccination target reached
- Covid vaccine rollout and rates tracker; Cases, trends and data tracker
- Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing
Victoria police clashed with anti-lockdown protesters in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon, as the Australian state recorded another 535 new coronavirus cases and one death.
Around 1,000 protesters gathered in the north-eastern suburbs of Richmond and Hawthorne, forced to make a last-minute change of location after 2,000 police officers formed a “ring of steel” around the Melbourne CBD.