Good Evening. This is ABC News. I'm Jefferson Dufflecoat.

Australia has faced it's largest day of protests in a generation today as thousands of young Australians aged between 16 and 25 walked out of schools, universities and work today to protest organised and encouraged by members of the Government's own Youth Advisory Group against what they see as a lack of concern by government to hear their voices and the voices of young people around the country. The Port of Newcastle came to a flashpoint today as over a thousand protesters followed through on plans to blockade traffic from entering or leaving the port. Sporadic clashes broke out between Port Authority Security and Protestors, forcing Australian Federal Police and New South Wales State police to intervene and remove protestors blockading the entrance and exit of the port.

A spokesperson for New South Wales Police confirmed that 62 protestors have been arrested so far with a further 29 taken into protective custody, with more expected during the evening as police work to clear the blockade. 7 Protestors and 3 Port Authority Security staff have been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Despite upholding their promise to stand arm in arm with protestors, New South Wales Senator TheSensibleCentre was not amongst the number arrested and was instead allowed to stay with protestors under the watch of an Australian Federal Police bodyguard. A spokesperson from the Attorney General's office, speaking on the condition of anonimity, confirmed to ABC News this was the result of a direct order from the Attorney General, saying it was well with the Senators right to protest and that the bodyguard had been ordered only to interfene should the Senator come under direct threat.

Tensions also spilled over at Parliament House with violent clashes seen between youth protesters and counter protestors from the group known as the "Sovereign Protectors of Democracy".

The violence began when a small group of youth protestors broke through barricades and entered the Great Hall of Parliament House, causing a counter surge by the counter protesters who also broke through barricades and moved to stop them armed with bats, brass knuckles and in the case of at least 2 protesters, machetes. Australian Federal Police were able to break up the clashes before they escalated and spilled into parliament itself, but not before 13 youth protestors were injured, including ACT Advisory Group member Lachlan Rogan, who was trying to break up the skirmish and was attacked by one of the machete wielding counter protestors, he was taken to Calvary John James Hospital in a critical condition with the next 24 hours said to be vital.

16 Counter Protestors have been arrested with charges ranging from trespass to Attempted Murder. Australian Federal Police and ACT Police have managed to seperate the two groups and as ABC News goes to air a tense peace is being maintained, This was depite a plea from the Prime Minister for calm. Prime Minister Youmaton appeared at the Youth Protest appealing for calm and brandishing a copy of the Government's bill in troduced to parliament to lower the eligable voting age to 16. A move that seemed well recieved by most of the crowd but clearly did not go far enough to convince everyone of the government's intentions.

Elsewhere in Australia the protests have been peaceful. The planned protest at the Port of Melbourne attracted over 400 protestors but Victorian members of the Advisory Group ensured that the protests remained peaceful with little to any stoppage to traffic flow in and out of the port. The city centre in Melbourne also saw a large protest with over 800 protestors marching from Federation Square to Parliament House, however protests remained peaceful. In Brisbane. Brisbane MP model-pierogi marched with an estimated 600 protestors through the streets of Brisbane. The protests were loud but peaceful as the youth vented their anger at politicians that had not listened to them. In a meeting with the three Queensland members of the Youth Advisory Group, model-pierogi had a long discussion to discuss the path moving forward and showed the Australians for Democracy bill introduced to parliament to force the minister for young people to submit motions on behalf of the group should the group wish it to be. Spokesperson Oliver Sharp said that the planned would go a long to provide the Youth Advisory Group with the assurance they needed that their voice couldn't be ignored by government and that the AfD had shown that they were listening to the concerns of the group.

In Adelaide, Mayo MP Slow-Passenger-1542 spoke at the Adelaide protests in front of a crowd over 500, calling on the government to listen to the united voice being put forward across the country by young Australians and to do more to ensure their voices are heard.

And in Darwin Lingiari MP model-jordology stood side by side with the three NT members of the Group as they took the time to meet and talk to every one of the 300 protestors that attended the Darwin protests. The protest was almost cheerful with music and laughs shared by all.

Deputy Prime Minister Gregor_The_Beggar met with heads of the Maritime Union of Australia in Sydney this afternoon before flying to Canberra to attend the President's Speech to discuss support for workers and their families effected by the blockade at the Port of Newcastle. the Deputy Prime Minister repeated his calls for calm and for the blockade to not go ahead, but his pleas tonight have fallen on deaf ears.

Tonight Australia watches with a concerned eye as events continue to unfold in Newcastle and Canberra. As always ABC News will continue to keep people updated with the goings on at both of these protests.