Australia intends to tighten laws aimed at protecting statues, AP reported referring to the representatives of authorities at various levels.

Attention to the problem was drawn after explorer James Cook's statue was defaced in Australia as cities all over the world are taking steps to remove statues that represent cultural or racial oppression.

In particular, two women were charged in this regard, while another statue was discovered spray-painted on Sunday morning.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she would consider toughening laws to deter future vandalism.

“I wish it didn’t come to this and I want to stress that it’s only a very, very small percentage of the population that’s engaging in this activity, the vast majority of us don’t condone it, we think it’s disrespectful, it’s un-Australian,” she told reporters.

Earlier, Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologized for saying Australia has been colonized without slavery.