Four vandals have wrought more than $140,000 of damage after decapitating the statue heads of two Australian prime ministers.
Police were told the figures were vandalised on the Prime Ministers Avenue in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens between 2am and 5am on Thursday.
The heads of former Labor prime ministers Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd were removed and stolen, while the name plates of the 18 remaining statues were covered in spray paint.
The damage bill is estimated to be more than $140,000.
Police are unsure why Mr Keating and Mr Rudd’s statues were specifically targeted.
“This isn’t just an act of vandalism or graffiti,” Senior Sergeant Brad Hall told reporters in Ballarat on Friday.
“This was an attack against the Ballarat community. The Botanical Gardens are a much-loved community location for everybody.”
A white ute with a canopy was captured on CCTV in the area at the time, with four people suspected to have been involved in the vandalism spree.
If caught, the culprits will face theft and criminal damage charges.
Police are urging anyone who saw suspicious behaviour to come forward and will monitor the park in the lead up to Australia Day.
The avenue contains a collection of busts of the first 29 prime ministers of Australia, each featuring a bronze cast mounted on a polished granite pedestal.
The exhibit has long been the site of vandalism attempts, with former Liberal prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard’s busts sprayed with red paint in 2021.
The Ballarat Botanical Garden Foundation said it was “deeply saddened” by the latest attack.
“The avenue is a source of pride for the local community and has been a site of national significance since it was opened by the Governor of Victoria in 1940,” the group said on social media.
“This blatant violation of this vital part of their story and heritage is a severe blow to not only the community but to all who work and care for the gardens.”
A City of Ballarat spokesperson also condemned the act.
“It is not only extremely costly to our ratepayers and will divert money away from critical council services, but it detracts from Ballarat as a city,” they said.
Political cartoonist and sculptor Peter Nicholson, who supplied the mould for several of the 29 busts including those of Mr Keating and Mr Rudd, said the vandalism was “disgraceful” but the statues should be able to be repaired.
“The good thing about it is that I also (gave) the moulds to the Ballarat Council,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday.
“They’ve got those stashed away and they also have a studio copy of each of all of those portraits made up of pasta, which is very accurate.
“So accurate you could make another mould and make another cast and it would be indistinguishable.”
Meanwhile in Sydney, a statue of another famous historical figure was damaged overnight ahead of Australia Day.
The sandstone heritage statue of British explorer and naval captain James Cook in Randwick had its hand and nose severed and was partially splattered with red paint.
It was cleaned and restored after a similar attack in February 2024.
Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said council staff were working to clean and restore the statue and vandalism has no place in public discussion.
“It is an illegal act that does a disservice to progressing your cause, a disservice to the community and a disservice to reconciliation,” he said.
