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Remaking marble limbs for the vandalised Queen Victoria monument has pushed the repair bill for Melbourne’s damaged statues to above $1 million.
The City of Melbourne has already spent $116,151 on repairs to its statue collection in the past two years, but the cost to fully restore and reinstate five colonial-era statues and monuments along with security measures will cost an additional $900,000.
Council papers published on Thursday warn that “colonial-era monuments are frequently damaged on or around public holidays linked to Australia’s colonial history”, such as Australia Day, the King’s Birthday and the anniversary of Captain Cook’s death.
In response, the City of Melbourne has tried numerous preventative measures including erecting floodlights over the statue of Captain Cook in the Fitzroy Gardens that activate after dark, and security cameras which broadcast a prerecorded message to alert vandals that they are being watched.
However, the council is still grappling with the “fool’s errand” of rising repair and security bills to reinstate statues likely to be further targeted.
The Captain Cook statue was damaged by vandals in February 2025, less than two weeks after it was reinstalled following a $13,000 repair job.
The City of Melbourne has spent $17,870 in total repairing the statue along with $18,000 annually on security and protection.
The council also spent $92,219 repairing the King George V memorial in King’s Domain, which was beheaded in 2024.
That repair is still in progress as King George’s head has not been seen since social media footage posted on Australia Day last year showing it alight on a barbecue.
The Queen Victoria statue in the Queen Victoria Gardens was sprayed with red paint in January 2024 and the following year, with $18,511 already spent on repairs and $27,000 on security and protection.
Temporary cyclone fencing, costing $2000, has been successful at deterring further damage to the statue, along with a portable security camera costing $25,000. However, the papers note “fencing is not a viable long-term protection or deterrent solution for display of large memorials due to visual disruption”.
The council estimates it will cost $550,000 to fully reinstate the Queen Victoria statue, including $15,760 to stabilise it and the remainder to remake the statue’s limbs in marble.
Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the potential repair bill for Melbourne’s statues had “skyrocketed” to more than $1 million since 2024.
“You can challenge history, you can protest history, you can argue to change history, but you don’t get to vandalise it,” he said. “Melbourne’s public heritage belongs to all of us, and the ratepayers shouldn’t be left footing the bill for someone else’s political protest.”
Other targeted landmarks include the Pioneer Monument in Flagstaff Gardens, which was erected in 1871 to the memory of “some of the earliest pioneers of this colony”. It was broken into pieces ahead of Australia Day this year with the words “death to Australia” graffitied at its base. It is expected to cost $240,000 to repair.
The John Batman Memorial, which stood near the Queen Victoria Market and was cut in half before Australia Day last year, will cost $110,000 to repair.
Reece said vandalism of Melbourne’s monuments had risen dramatically, and was an issue many global cities faced.
However, when the issue of statue vandalism came before the council earlier this year, Greens councillor Olivia Ball said it was “a fool’s errand” to spend money reinstating damaged statues as it could serve as an incentive rather than a deterrent.
Next week’s council meeting will consider directing management to develop and consult on a new policy that will include how to manage monuments and memorials across the City of Melbourne.
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