Anzac Day: Dawn services cancelled in Perth as part of three-day lockdown

All Anzac Day dawn services in Perth have been cancelled as part of a three-day lockdown, while temporary fencing has been erected at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance.

Temporary fencing at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance will be erected to control crowd numbers on Anzac Day. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

A controversial decision to erect temporary fencing at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance to control crowd numbers on Anzac Day on Sunday has been slammed as an insult to veterans.

Shrine of Remembrance chief executive Dean Lee said the barriers had been extended to the ­Second World War Memorial Forecourt to ensure only 1400 people attended the dawn service.

“We are responsible for managing the delivery of the dawn service in partnership with RSL Victoria,” Mr Lee said. “This is the method to ensure that the event capacity is not exceeded.”

Those with tickets to the dawn service will have to show their booking form before scanning a QR code to be allowed entry to the dawn service, which Mr Lee said would assist contact tracers.

The decision to extend the fence was made by the Shrine of Remembrance.

Victorian opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said she was “horrified” fences had been erected around the Shrine of Remembrance.

“Is this to block out veterans?” she said. “I mean, it is an absolute insult to every veteran that they are being fenced out from the Shrine when we have got 85,000 people that can attend an Anzac Day football match at the MCG.”

Across the nation, thousands of current and former servicemen and women are expected to take to streets on Sunday.

Australia’s two most populous states, NSW and Victoria, have in recent weeks buckled to political pressure and backlash from veterans’ groups and have increased the size of their annual marches.

In Sydney, the number of veterans allowed to march has been ­increased twice after an original cap of 500 sparked outrage. On March 9, the number increased to 5000, which was then doubled on April 5 to 10,000.

In Melbourne this week, the number allowed to march was ­ increased by 2500 to 8000.

Opposition spokesman for veterans affairs Tim Bull said it was disgraceful that the Victorian government was allowing 85,000 fans to attend the Anzac Day football match at the MCG, while it was maintaining strict caps on the veterans’ commemorations.

“When just a few hours later a world record-breaking crowd of screaming fans will be jumping over each other in the one venue, our veteran community should not be prevented from taking part in Anzac Day,” he said.

At Canberra’s march, each registered contingent can have about 20 people per banner, which translates to about 1000 people.

RSL ACT branch president John King said he wasn’t sure how many people would turn up given that an exemption had only been granted last week.

Attendance at the War Memorial service is capped at 7200, ­including a limit of 4200 for the dawn service.

South Australia has resisted pressure to increase crowd sizes, with a crowd limit of 2500 to be ­enforced at the dawn service at Adelaide’s National War Memorial. No descendants have been invited to march.

In Brisbane, there are no ­attendance limits for the Anzac Square dawn service or the march, and RSL Queensland will promote physical distancing.

In Hobart, the dawn service is limited to 3000 and attendees need to register.

There is no cap on march numbers in the Northern Territory.