Captain Cook statue in Sydney vandalised again ahead of Australia Day
The incident comes as data indicates such attacks are backfiring with support for Australia Day on January 26 at record highs with the vast majority of Aussies fed up with tired debate.
A Captain Cook statue in Randwick, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, has been vandalised just days before Australia Day, marking the second consecutive year it has been targeted.
Police were alerted to the incident on Belmore Road shortly after 8am, where they discovered red paint splattered across the statue. Parts of the statue’s face and one hand were also broken off in the attack.
Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker condemned the act, saying, “Vandalism has no place in public discussion.”
A new attack on a Captain Cook statue in anticipation of Australia Day. We take this opportunity to again link to the statement we issued on the subject of public memorials and war memorials on 24 October 2024:https://t.co/aSxWgliebv#NSWpol #Auspol2025 pic.twitter.com/63z3YZtOGC
— Military History Society of NSW (@MHS_NSW) January 23, 2025
“Randwick City Council condemns this act of vandalism of the heritage Captain Cook statue,” Parker said. “Vandalism is an illegal act that does a disservice to progressing your cause, a disservice to the community and a disservice to reconciliation.”
Council teams are now working to clean and repair the damaged statue.
Randwick Councillor Andrew Hay also criticised the perpetrators, calling them “low lives.”
“Low lives in Randwick know no bounds, or have any reverence for great people of history, and will vandalise him to make a political point that he’s not directly related to,” Hay stated.
Fellow councillor Carolyn Martin echoed these sentiments, highlighting the impact of the attack. “I’m here with a council worker that looked after it last time when it was damaged, and just to restore it is such a big effort and expense, but that aside, we’re all just horrified,” Martin told radio host Ben Fordham.
Captain Cook statue in Randwick vandalised ahead of Australia Day
— Clown Down Under 🤡 (@clowndownunder) January 23, 2025
“They’ve splattered paint all over it and they’ve knocked his hand off and part of his face and nose,” Randwick City councillor Dr Carolyn Martin said pic.twitter.com/yJYANgsVRc
The incident comes amid rising support for Australia Day, with recent polls showing that almost nine in 10 Australians want the national day to remain on January 26.
he polls indicate that 87 per cent of Australians support keeping Australia Day on January 26, with only 12 per cent favouring a change of date. Additionally, more than four in five Australians say they plan to actively celebrate the day this year, while 86 per cent would be less likely to support businesses that boycott the national holiday.
The vandalism follows a renewed backlash against businesses boycotting Australia Day. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has called on Australians to voice their disapproval of such actions, saying they contradict the views of the “vast majority” of the country.


COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-01-23 19:42:14 -0500I hope somebody turns in these vandals and that they’re actually punished to the full extent of the law. And I wish they’d have to PAY for their damages to be repaired. So many normal people are getting enraged at low-life leftists and their vandalism.