Vandals have defaced two historic monuments in the lead-up to 26 January despite efforts to protect against targeted attacks.
Heavy machinery was used to tear down the Pioneer monument in Melbourne's oldest park, Flagstaff Gardens, overnight before the badly-damaged ruins were vandalised, police believe.
The words "Death to 'Australia'" were spray-painted on the plinth supporting the momunent, which was erected in 1871.
The five-metre tall sandstone obelisk marks the city's first burial site.
The nearby Separation memorial, erected in 1950 to commemorate the founding of the Victorian colony a century earlier, was similarly defaced.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, Melbourne's lord mayor Nicholas Reece called the incident "despicable".
Reece described the vandals as "idiots", adding they failed to understand the historic significance of the monuments they targeted.
"We are up for a debate about the future of statues and memorials in Melbourne ... but tearing them down, acts of vandalism, that will not be accepted," he said.
The incident occurred despite cameras and fences being installed to protect statues and monuments in the lead up to Australia Day, 26 January.
Similar vandalism offences have occurred in the lead-up to Australia Day in recent years, often targeting sites dedicated to the city's colonial past.
In 2025, vandals toppled a statue of Captain Cook at the entrance of Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North during the January long weekend.
The City of Yarra voted to scrap the statue in May 2025 due to the high cost of its upkeep, given it was repeatedly targeted by vandals.
Reece said the price of repairing the Flagstaff Gardens monuments was not yet clear, but insisted they would be reinstated.
"We cannot allow it to be the case that when statutes [and] memorials are destroyed ... that is rewarded by allowing it to continue," he said.
Reece said some of the words and symbols may constitute a hate crime under Victoria's anti-vilification laws and noted the timing of the incident, which coincides with the national day of mourning for the Bondi Beach terror attack victims.
Premier Jacinta Allan called the incident a "disgrace".
"Even on a day about love and unity, these people can't help but introduce hate and destruction," she said, referring to the day of mourning.
"The groups who continue to commit these crimes must face the full force of the law."
A crime scene has been established at the site as police investigate.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.
