Uncle Ray Minniecon delivered the Acknowledgement of Country at Sydney’s Anzac Day dawn service on Saturday as booing rang out for more than a minute from a small group in the crowd.
The veteran Indigenous leader, whose ancestry includes the Kabi-Kabi and Gurang-Gurang peoples of Queensland, remained composed despite the interruption, drawing on his military training to push through the tension.
Similar scenes unfolded during Welcome to Country ceremonies in Melbourne and Perth, where Bunurong man Uncle Mark Brown faced comparable disruptions although speaking at dawn services.
Police in New South Wales confirmed a 24-year-old man was arrested at the Martin Place cenotaph for an alleged act of nuisance and subsequently charged with committing a nuisance on a war memorial, with bail set for an early June court appearance.
After the disturbance was quelled, the crowd responded with a sustained chorus of applause and cheering in support of Minniecon, a reaction noted by NSW Premier Chris Minns as unprecedented in his experience at dawn services.
RSL NSW acting president Vincent Williams described the booing as “the most appalling act I’ve ever seen at a dawn service,” emphasizing Minniecon’s family contributions to national defence from World War I to the present.
In Victoria, RSL president Mark Schroffel said those who booed demonstrated weak-mindedness and did not belong at the service, while Premier Jacinta Allan labelled the interruption “bastardry” that disrespected Aboriginal servicemen and women and everyone who fought for Australian freedoms.
The booing incidents occurred against a backdrop of rising public displays of racism, which Tasmanian Liberal Senator Jonno Duniam warned is eroding community cohesion and undermining traditional Australian ideals of tolerance and mutual respect.
Uncle Ray Minniecon linked the increase in hostility to the aftermath of the 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum, suggesting it has given some a false sense of legitimacy to target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
He framed the racism as a “whitefella problem,” noting First Nations people have endured such treatment for over 230 years since colonisation.
In the lead-up to Anzac Day, the anti-immigration nationalist group Fight For Australia circulated a video of Uncle Mark Brown being booed at last year’s Melbourne dawn service, overlaying it with the text “How loud will you be this year?”
RSL Australia president Peter Tinley acknowledged awareness of the provocative post but stated the organisation’s options are limited given that many memorials are in public spaces, warning that worsening conduct could force the removal of hecklers or even cancellation of ceremonies.
Tinley added that the RSL is investigating reports that veterans were among those who participated in the booing, a development he said would be particularly troubling.
Tanya Hosch, who led the AFL’s enhanced Indigenous strategy following the Adam Goodes booing saga, acknowledged that crowd behaviour cannot be fully controlled but stressed that coordinated strategies — such as deploying trained observers to identify disruptors — can help manage incidents, though they require significant resources.
She cautioned against expecting perfection, noting the inherent difficulty of identifying individuals in large, dynamic gatherings.
Amid the ceremonies, 99-year-old WWII veteran Roy Pearson attended the Sydney march in a wheelchair, reflecting on the futility of war and the need for national self-awareness, while 92-year-old Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps veteran Betty Niblett expressed regret that national service is no longer in place.
Vietnam veteran John Murray, who travelled from Brisbane for the Sydney dawn service, said the crowd size exceeded his expectations and described it as the largest he had witnessed.
The Martin Place cenotaph gathering included high-profile attendees such as Premier Chris Minns, Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek, Governor Margaret Beazley, and acting RSL head Brigadier Vincent Williams (retired), all present as a camera drone captured the proceedings from above.
What legal consequences followed the booing incident in Sydney?
A 24-year-old man was arrested for an alleged act of nuisance at the Martin Place dawn service, charged with committing a nuisance on a war memorial, and bailed to appear in court in early June.
How did officials characterise the motivations behind the booing?
Officials including RSL leaders and state premiers described the booing as disrespectful, weak-minded, and politicising a sacred day, with some labelling it “bastardry” that dishonours veterans and Aboriginal service personnel.
What broader social trend do leaders connect to the increase in public racism incidents?
Leaders such as Senator Jonno Duniam link the rise in public racism to weakening community cohesion and a departure from traditional Australian values of unity, tolerance, and mutual respect.