Graffiti artist launches furious protest against Australian government by shutting down bridge: 'Lower the taxes'

Published: 23:05, 6 July 2026 | Updated: 23:15, 6 July 2026 Police are locked in a standoff with a man on top of a major inner-city bridge after a dangerous graffiti stunt. Traffic is building on Melbourne's Bolte Bridge after emergency services were called at 3am on Tuesday following reports that a graffiti artist had climbed one of the bridge's 140-metre-high pillars. It's believed the man abseiled down the pillar and painted a giant Pam the Bird tag, which has been illegally sprayed on Melbourne landmarks for years, often in hard-to-reach locations and on heritage-listed buildings. A police spokesperson said officers are negotiating with the man to get him down safely. 'He is refusing to follow police direction and come down,' the spokesperson said. 'There are a significant number of police resources in the area including uniform members and water police units.' The spokesperson said there is no threat to the public or road users, and one lane of the bridge has been closed. An Instagram page, @pambirdofficial, has shared videos appearing to have been filmed from the top of the pillar on Tuesday, along with the hashtag #notcomingdown. Police are locked in a standoff with a man on top of a major inner-city bridge after a dangerous graffiti stunt The man, who says he won't come down until taxes are lowered, remains atop the bridge as officers continue negotiations. He pointed the finger at police from the top of the bridge  In one video, a caption says: 'Lower the taxes and drone me some f****** food! Let's go boys and girls!' In the same video, a man's voice says: 'I'm not coming down until they lower the taxes.' Another video shows feet dangling from the tower before zooming in on a large police presence below. The man then 'flips the bird' at officers. It is not yet known who the man on the Bolte Bridge is. Police previously charged 22-year-old Jack Gibson-Burrell with 209 offences over the Pam the Bird graffiti, including reckless conduct endangering life or serious injury, criminal damage, theft and aggravated burglary. Gibson-Burrell is accused of causing about $700,000 in damage, including to heritage-listed Victorian landmarks where he allegedly sprayed the tag. Police allege he trespassed into Melbourne's Flinders Street Station in July 2024 and abseiled up its famous clock tower to paint the bird on it. He was granted bail in May ahead of a future trial in the County Court. His bail conditions included complying with a nightly curfew at his Geelong address and not possessing any abseiling or graffiti-related items.