The residents of Melbourne woke up this morning to a sight that should sicken every patriotic Australian. Overnight, cowards lurking in the shadows of Flagstaff Gardens used heavy machinery to tear down and deface two of our city’s most significant historical monuments: the Pioneer Memorial and the Separation Monument.

This was not a "protest." It was a sophisticated, pre-meditated act of criminal vandalism. The statues were not just toppled; they were defaced with hateful graffiti, including the slogan "Death to Australia" and symbols linked to foreign extremist ideologies. When "activists" begin spray-painting "the colony will fall" on our public landmarks, they aren’t asking for a conversation—they are declaring war on the very foundations of the nation that provides them with the freedom and safety they so clearly take for granted.

One Nation Victoria condemns these acts in the strongest possible terms. We call on the Victorian Government and the Victoria Police to treat this with the gravity it deserves. These are not "youthful pranks"; this is an assault on our shared heritage.

The Pioneer Memorial, erected in 1871, stands as a testament to the men and women who endured unimaginable hardship to build the Victoria we know today. The Separation Monument commemorates the birth of our state as a self-governing colony, free from the dictates of New South Wales. These monuments are the physical markers of our journey as a people.

To the radical fringe, these statues represent "colonialism." To the rest of us—the silent majority—they represent the grit, determination, and vision that transformed a harsh wilderness into one of the most prosperous societies on earth. History is not a menu where you can simply pick and choose the parts that suit your modern political sensibilities. It is a complex, continuous story. By tearing down these statues, these vandals are trying to erase the fingerprints of our ancestors from the public square.

One Nation has always maintained that a nation that forgets its past has no future. If we allow a small group of extremists to decide which parts of our history are "allowed" to be visible, where does it end? Today it is a statue in a park; tomorrow it is the rewriting of our school curriculums and the dismantling of our national identity.

For too long, we have seen a "softly-softly" approach from our political leaders. We’ve seen councils across Melbourne—most notably the Yarra City Council—refuse to repair vandalised statues, effectively surrendering to the mob. When the government refuses to protect our history, it emboldens the lawless.

The message being sent is clear: if you scream loud enough and destroy enough property, the authorities will eventually give in. This is not how a civilised society operates. One Nation Victoria demands that these monuments be restored and returned to their rightful places immediately. We cannot allow the "cancel culture" mob to dictate the landscape of our CBD.

The graffiti left behind at Flagstaff Gardens—"Death to Australia"—is perhaps the most revealing part of this crime. It proves that this isn't about "justice" or "inclusion." It is about a deep-seated hatred for our Western values and our way of life.

At One Nation, we believe in one law for all Australians. We believe in a country where your character matters more than your background. But we also believe that to be Australian is to respect the institutions and the history that built this land.

True progress does not come from a winch and a sledgehammer in the middle of the night. It comes from building on the foundations laid by those who came before us. We are a nation of many backgrounds, but we must be one people with one future. Those who seek to divide us by demonising our past are only interested in tearing things down; they have nothing to offer in terms of building anything up.

It is time for all Australians to stand up and say: enough is enough. We must stop apologising for our history. We must stop allowing our national symbols to be treated like rubbish.

We call on all Victorians to reject this path of destruction. Let us unite under the Australian flag—not as "settlers" or "colonisers," but as citizens of a great, sovereign nation. Let us teach our children to respect our pioneers and to understand the sacrifices that were made to give them the lives they enjoy today.

The vandals may have toppled the bronze and stone in Flagstaff Gardens, but they cannot topple the Australian spirit unless we let them. One Nation will always stand in the breach to defend our history, our values, and our home.

It is time to stand up for Australia and move forward together.