Opposition calls for new offence to deter anti-social behaviour and vandalism at war memorials

As the desecration of Adelaide’s war memorial is revealed, the Opposition wants to work with the Government to penalise more harshly any such behaviour in the future.

• Lest we disrespect: Adelaide National War Memorial trashed

People caught desecrating South Australian war memorials would face tough new penalties – including inflated fines and community service – under a proposal by the Opposition to crack down on anti-social behaviour at sites.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas has written to Premier Steven Marshall to ask that the Government and the Opposition “put aside politics” to “work together to ensure greater and specific offences (are created) to protect our state’s war memorials from vandalism, desecration, defacement or inappropriate behaviour”.

It came after The Advertiser revealed groups of people were trashing Adelaide’s National War Memorial and urinating on the names of fallen soldiers at the site.

Groups of people are regularly trashing the city's National War Memorial, as these pictures reveal.

Photographs of the North Terrace memorial from the past week show empty wine casks and bottles of alcohol, as well as blankets and other rubbish, strewn across the base of the monument, which is in a dry zone. Another image shows the destruction of a flower bed at the site.

The photographs sparked anger within the community and prompted the RSL to call for those responsible to be fined and made to clean up their mess.

There are existing laws that deal with defacing public memorials but Mr Malinauskas wants to create a specific offence, with harsher penalties, to deter the behaviour at war memorials.

SA could model such legislation on NSW laws, which increased fines and introduced community service as a possible penalty for trashing war memorials, he said.

“The NSW legislation introduced specific offences to send a clear message to the community that all war memorials are important national monuments whose desecration will not be tolerated,” he wrote.

“I hope that we will be able to send the same message.”

The photographs sparked anger within the community and prompted the RSL to call for those responsible to be fined and made to clean up their mess

Mr Malinauskas said State Parliament needed to take action to protect war memorials.

“War memorials hold a special significance, honouring the sacrifice of members of local communities serving our nation in the theatre of war,” he said. “For some, these memorials also double as the resting place of those who have provided the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”

A State Government spokeswoman said it “absolutely and comprehensively rejects the recent disrespectful acts on our War Memorial”.

“It is a complete insult to the memory of our fallen service men and women,” she said.

“Currently, there are tough penalties in place for defacing a public memorial, which is a fine of $7500 or 18 months imprisonment.”