Busts of 2 Former Leaders Beheaded, Stolen From Prime Ministers Avenue

Ballarat Police are investigating after receiving reports that 20 statues were damaged.

(L-R) Former Australian Prime Ministers Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, and Paul Keating and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews attend the Labor Party campaign launch for the 2019 Federal election at the Brisbane Convention Centre in Brisbane, Australia, on May 5, 2019. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

The statue heads of two former Australian Prime Ministers, Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd, have been stolen from the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in Victoria, days out from Australia Day.

The heads of the Labor leaders were decapitated and removed, while multiple other statues were damaged on Prime Ministers Avenue, a cherished community landmark with a collection of bronze busts representing every Australian prime minister.