New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has stood by his decision to keep the sails of the Opera House unlit for the coronation of King Charles III over the weekend, amid a backlash from monarchists.
More than 3 million Australians watched the historic event, with Canberra's Parliament House among the many significant buildings across the country lit up.
On Monday, the premier reiterated his position that it was a costly exercise for NSW — a view he shared in interviews in the lead up to Saturday's proceedings.
"At the end of the day I've made a decision that we need to protect government, we need to protect taxpayer money in particular," Mr Minns said.
"Obviously these are changes to the constitutional arrangements in Australia and the UK and that's important for many people, but I don't don't think it meets the threshold for lighting up the Opera House."
He said that to date the Sydney landmark had being lit up 70 times, compared to about 23 times in 2012, at an estimated cost of between $80,000 to $100,000.
A number of events have been marked on the sails this year, including Australia Day with Indigenous artwork, the rainbow flag for Sydney WorldPride, and for Lunar Year the sails shone bright red.
Most recently on April 21, they were illuminated in memory of 29-year-old paramedic Steven Tougher, who was allegedly stabbed to death while on a break with his colleague outside a McDonald's restaurant in Sydney's south-west.
The national chair of the Australian Monarchist League Philip Benwell has condemned the basis for the premier's decision, saying cost should not have been a factor.
"Had the Premier contacted the Australian Monarchist League, our members, we would readily have contributed towards the funding for this purpose on this important occasion," Mr Benwell said.
"Based on the decision of the Premier, one would expect that the Opera House and other buildings will no longer be lighted up for any purpose whatsoever in future."
Mr Benwell warned there will be backlash against the premier and complaints if the sails are lit up for other occasions from on.
"From now on, should taxpayer funds ever be used to light up buildings, it will prove that this decision was based on Mr Minns's republican sympathies and not on cost."
A Sydney Opera House spokesperson told ABC News it is working on an updated sails lighting policy to "prevent overuse", including greater clarity around the type and frequency of projections.
"Over the past 10 years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of requests to illuminate the sails, including from community groups, charities, organisations, foreign embassies/consulates, and the NSW government," a spokesperson said.
"As a place that belongs to all Australians, the Opera House takes seriously its responsibility to protect the cultural heritage significance of the World Heritage-listed building, while meeting community and artistic expectations," they said.
