The heads of two former Australian prime ministers have been decapitated and more than a dozen others damaged in Victoria’s northwest.
About 20 statues in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens were damaged between 2am and 5am on Thursday, according to Victoria Police.
“The heads of two statues have been removed and stolen,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
“The name plates of the remaining statues have been covered in spray paint.”
Busts of former Labor leaders Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd were those decapitated in the vandalism spree.
The statues are among those lining the gardens’ Prime Ministers Ave, which was opened by the Governor of Victoria in 1940 to commemorate the nation’s leaders.
City of Ballarat said the statues were “extensively damaged”.
“The City of Ballarat strongly condemns graffiti and vandalism of any kind,” the council wrote in a post to Facebook.
“This type of senseless damage is completely unacceptable.
“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.”
Ballarat Botanical Gardens Foundation chair Mark Schultz told the ABC he hoped the vandals would be identified, charged and dealt with by the law for “this wanton destruction of public property”.
Police have urged anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area, witnesses, or those with CCTV/dashcam footage to come forward.
More to come …
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