Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said he was outraged that there were people in the community who thought it was a good idea to leave home and mass protest during a time of a deadly pandemic.

[citation needed] On 12 and 13 September 2020, anti-lockdown protesters held further "Freedom Marches" on Saturday and Sunday at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne.

[14] Ninety infringement notices issued and 57 people charged;[11] and Brisbane, where no arrests were made and no fines handed out for not wearing a mask.

Up to 4,000 marched in Melbourne with over 200 arrested, and smaller protests were held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth and Sydney.

In Sydney the protest met a police response of over 1,500 officers and roadblocks on major roads into the central business district.

[19][20] One of its main organisers, a 29-year-old Victorian man, was jailed in NSW for up to 8 months on 20 August for breaching public health orders by travelling to Sydney from Queensland.

[33] During the 2021 Australian Open in February at Melbourne Park, an official referred to the COVID-19 vaccine as a sign of optimism, which was followed by booing by the fans present at the event.

On 18 September 2021, between 8.00 am and 2.00 pm, by the request of Victoria Police, public transport services into and out of the Melbourne CBD were suspended and roads closed, in response to a planned anti-lockdown protest and concerns about violence.

The protest became violent, the union building was damaged, and riot police employed pepper spray and rubber bullets.

[41] On 21 September 2021 in Melbourne, there was another protest with thousands of people marching against a wide range of pandemic response related issues, including the previous days' construction industry shut down.

The "Victorian Workers Rally For Freedom" started near to the CFMEU headquarters at 10am, went through the CBD, past state Parliament, Flinders Street railway station, then onto and blocking the busy West Gate Freeway causing "chaos" in peak hour traffic.

[42] Union officials such as John Setka, CFMEU Victorian state secretary, and Sally McManus, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) national secretary, asserted that the protests had been hijacked, McManus saying it was by "... far right groups and anti-vax groups, ...".

92 arrests were made as police checked that people were lawfully in the CBD and in compliance with the state Chief Health Officers' current directives.

[46][47] The protests resulted in the closure, for at least four days, of a vaccination centre at Melbourne Town Hall, and also a drop-in clinic for the homeless near Queen Victoria Market.

Many criticised the decision made by Victoria Police, one man who was at the park with his children stated; "It is a bit nerve-wracking being in the playground with your kids and seeing 200 cops".

[57] On 16 November, anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protests occurred outside of the Victorian parliament, They had a makeshift Gallows of an effigy of Dan Andrews.

[63] On 23 January 2021 an anti-mask protest was stopped by New South Wales Police from entering the Westfield Parramatta shopping centre.

[64] On 17 July 2021, there was a protest in the afternoon at Paul Keating Park in Bankstown against the added stay-at-home lockdown rules mandated that day for Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, and Liverpool local government areas in Sydney's south-west.

[67] In August 2021, Anthony Khallouf, a key anti-lockdown protest organiser was arrested and found guilty for multiple breaches of public health orders as well as planning an unauthorised protest in Sydney, and had been sentenced a maximum of eight months in prison that included a non-parole period of three months.

[69] On 31 August 2021, police arrested 135 people and issued 436 citations in connection with coordinated anti-lockdown protests across New South Wales.

[70] There were 79 protests across the state including outside the NSW Parliament building and the Byron Shire Council Chambers in Mullumbimby.

[74] On 30 August 2021 in the morning there was a protest, against COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccination requirements, by truck drivers and supporters at Reedy Creek on the Gold Coast's M1 highway.

[77][78] Across early 2022 a coordinated campaign was run by the “Pro Choice Team” led by Dianne Cudby to petition local councils to force Special Elector's Meetings.

[82][83] Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes President John Bookless was also strongly criticised for his anti-vaccination stance and subsequently resigned after less than six month in the role.

[90][91][88] By 13 February, most of the Convoy protesters had dispersed after local authorities moved them in preparation for the Royal Canberra Show.

[92] Individuals from various groups subscribing to extremist ideologies, such as the National Socialist Network (NSN), known for their neo-Nazi beliefs, and the Proud Boys have been attending the anti-lockdown protests to recruit new members.

[93][94] Other individuals and groups have also attempted to stir up anti-semitic sentiment at the protests, such as "Dominic D", an alias for a 24-year-old Melbourne man Harrison Mclean, who describes himself as a "Libertarian Populist", and who has links to far-right Proud Boys and attempts to introduce people at the rallies to conspiracy theories such as the New World Order.

While some of the groups are associated with conspiracy theories and the far right, there are also a number of individuals drawn to the protests because of a general distrust of authority.

[96] According to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, several far-right extremists took part in the anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne on 21 August 2021, which ended with more than 218 arrests.