Australia celebrates national day

Dancers marked Australia Day in traditional Aboriginal style

Australians are celebrating their national day amid tight security due to fears of further race riots.

The day began with a traditional Aboriginal dance in a Sydney park. Thousands are expected to converge on the city's beaches by the evening.

More than 1,000 extra police are on duty to prevent a repeat of the clashes between young white men and those of Middle Eastern appearance in December.

But so far there have been no reports of unrest.

The Australia Day holiday was marked by ceremonies and parties, commemorating the arrival of the first British settlers in 1788.

More than 600 people were recognised in this year's Australia Day Honours list, including actress Nicole Kidman.

But Sydney authorities are also spending the day on alert for a possible repeat of December's riots.

Protest fear

Ahead of the celebrations there were reports of a planned protest by a far-right group on North Cronulla Beach, the main focal point of last month's unrest.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in a nationally televised address on Tuesday that the racial clashes had brought "shame on all involved".

"Australians, whatever their background, deserve to be treated with tolerance and with respect," he said.

The 11 December violence started when white men attacked people of Arabic and Mediterranean background on Cronulla Beach in revenge for an attack on two lifeguards.

Apparently in retaliation for the violence, groups described by police as having "Middle Eastern or Mediterranean" appearance were involved in two subsequent nights of violence and vandalism.

The riots shocked many people in Sydney, which prides itself on being a multicultural city.