Restaurants and traders that rely on weekend crowds are celebrating the end of "disruptive" weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations in the CBD, as activists focus their energy on monthly rallies instead.
Demonstrators have gathered for 70 consecutive weeks in the Melbourne CBD since Israel's ground invasion of Gaza following the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023.
The Sunday events have attracted crowds in the tens of thousands and the ire of CBD businesses, Jewish lobby groups and both sides of politics.
With a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel at risk of collapse, Australian Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni announced the Melbourne rallies would switch from weekly to monthly.
He admitted attendance had "plateaued to between 2000 and 5000" from highs of up to 50,000 in 2023, but insisted the move wasn't about crowd numbers.
"It's about what's the best use of time, energy, and that valuable resource that is human power," he told AAP on Wednesday.
The next Melbourne protest is slated for Sunday and rallies will be monthly from March unless Israel escalates the conflict, which would trigger snap actions.
Mr Mashni denied organisers backed down following calls from Premier Jacinta Allan, the state opposition and business groups to move or end the weekly rallies.
"Public sentiment is in our favour. Overwhelmingly, wherever we go, we are told to keep it up," he said.
There has been a spate of recent anti-Semitic incidents in Australia, including the firebombing of Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue and a suspected explosive terror plot foiled in Dural in Sydney's northwest.
Mr Mashni suggested the politicisation of the movement and weaponisation of anti-Semitism was "shameful", calling on the premier and state police force to address "rampant anti-Palestinian racism".
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force would continue to engage with organisers to ensure ongoing community safety.
People in the CBD were fed up with the action, Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece said.
"Local traders and restaurants who rely on weekend trade will be celebrating," he said.
People had a right to protest but also a responsibility to do so safely, state cabinet minister Gabrielle Williams said.
"The behaviour has generally been good, but I'm sure many Victorians who have sought to get in and out of the city at those times will be relieved by the minimisation of disruption," she told reporters.
The state government should implement enforceable measures to prevent future prolonged disruptions, Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said.
"The cost of policing these protests is running into the tens of millions of dollars - money that should be spent to help Victorians in a time of economic uncertainty," he said.
The public was "sick to death" of the protests, Victorian opposition spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said.
"There's so much concern amongst the Jewish community, they don't feel safe about coming into the city," she said.
Ms Allan has been resistant to introducing a permit system for protests, similar to one that operates in NSW.
In October, the NSW opposition pitched user-pays policing on all repeat protests after Premier Chris Minns said the weekly pro-Palestine rallies had cost $5 million to that point.
More rallies are planned for Canberra, Adelaide and Sydney in coming weeks.
It comes as Israel prepares to resume fighting if Hamas does not free more hostages after the militant group accused the Jewish state of violating the ceasefire agreement.
