Anti-lockdown protesters, many of whom are maskless, are clashing with police in central Melbourne in defiance of the city's coronavirus restrictions.
The "Freedom Day" protest started with a few hundred people at the Shrine of Remembrance and moved down St Kilda Road, towards the heart of Melbourne.
An AAP photographer on scene says police used pepper spray amid scuffles with some demonstrators and multiple arrests have been made.
Demonstrators, many of whom had with masks pulled under their chin or no mask at all, are in tense stand-offs with police. Others have been singing the National Anthem or shouting angrily about the lockdowns.
Some people are wearing t-shirts with the slogan "Let Victoria work", in reference to the shutdowns which remain in force across most industries.
Many are holding placards with slogans such as, "Media is the virus", "COVID-19 is a scam" and "Wake up Aussies".
The protest started at 2pm on Friday and is one of the larger events of its kind over the past few months against the Victorian governments' months-long, strict measures to stem transmission of COVID-19.
Police appear to outnumber protesters, based on aerial shots of the rally taken by 7News.
Protesters could face two separate fines for attending the rally.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius warned on Thursday that protesters could fall foul of legislation governing behaviour at the Shrine.
This legislation was being cited in arrests, AAP's photographer said on Friday.
While lockdown rules have been eased this week, Melburnians can still travel no more than 25km from their homes and are not permitted to have visitors to their home unless for care-giving.
They also can be fined if they gather in groups of more than 10 from more than two households, and must wear masks as well as social distance.
There were scuffles and several arrests last month as police broke up a protest at the Shrine.
A website for the Friday protest tells participants: "Daniel Andrews must resign and lockdowns must end. Restore our freedoms now."
Earlier on Friday, Mr Andrews urged people not to use the Shrine as a site of protest.
"Protests don't work against this virus and potentially put at risk all the good work we are doing," he said.
Opposition leader Michael O'Brien, who is an advocate for easing of restrictions faster than the Victorian government has allowed, urged protesters not to break public health rules.
And he said the Shrine was not the place to protest because it was a place of "reverence" and "sacrifice".
