A Captain Cook statue has been vandalised in Melbourne as tensions rise about recognising Australia Day on January 26.
Pink paint was dumped on the head of the statue at St Kilda on Thursday, with the words "no pride" painted beneath the feet alongside an Aboriginal flag.
The word "stolen" was also painted on a bluestone monument near Melbourne Zoo making Burke and Wills' journey to Australia's interior.
Federal citizenship minister Alan Tudge said the vandalism was a "disgrace".
"It will achieve nothing. I hope that the people who did that vandalism are caught and are prosecuted," he told reporters.
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"These people are trashing our national heritage," he told 3AW radio.
"You can't rewrite our history.
"I want Australia Day to be a great unifying day for our country, it has been for many decades now."
The vandalism comes amid heated debate over whether Australia Day should continue to be celebrated on January 26, and after three Melbourne councils in 2017 voted to scrap events to mark the national day.
Victoria's Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said she didn't condone vandalism and urged people to remain respectful while debating the issue.
Victoria Police said it was investigating the vandalism.
