Angus Taylor has partly blamed “over-use” of welcome to country ceremonies, but condemned “un-Australian” heckling of Indigenous presenters who were booed at Anzac Day dawn services, including in Perth.

The Federal Opposition Leader called the booing “absolutely unacceptable” when asked on Sunday, but then explained it.

“I can understand the frustration Australians feel about overuse (of) welcomes to country,” he told ABC Insiders.

“I feel that at times, often actually, I think it is overused and as a result they are devalued.

“I would like to see them used less and therefore not devalued as I think they have been over time.”

He said it shouldn’t be restricted, but should be done less.

“It’s up to individual organising communities to decide whether they want to do it or not. But the general principle should be, let’s do this less and make it more special when it happens,” Mr Taylor said.

WA Liberal Leader Basil Zempilas backed him and suggested the welcome to country should be saved for “significant” occasions.

“I agree with the sentiment from some in our community that the welcome to country appears to happen more and more at events that you wouldn’t necessarily think are of that stature of standing,” he said.

“And so I understand the sentiments from those in the community who might believe there are one of two examples of it occurring too often.”

Pressed three times to provide an example, Mr Zempilas eventually said a ribbon-cutting at a new train station shouldn’t require the acknowledgement.

But he said Anzac Day was the wrong time and place to argue the point.

“You can argue the toss, of course, that’s what we love about Australia,” Mr Zempilas said.

“You can argue whether you like something or not, but during the welcome to country at the dawn service that the performer has been invited to by the RSL, that’s not the time to argue that toss.”

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Don Punch accused the Liberal leaders of courting “racist views”.

“What a welcome to country is, it’s saying g’day, saying welcome to the land, it’s respecting First Nations culture,” he said.

“So I totally reject that view, and I think it’s very disingenuous of Angus Taylor and Basil Zempilas to climb onto what is emerging as a populist view.

“I would urge them to just acknowledge that we have some people who have some very strong views, some racist views, but to get over it, because welcome to country’s are an important part of our heritage and our Australian communities”.

Mr Zempilas attended the Kings Park dawn service, alongside Premier Roger Cook, who called the booing during Indigenous veteran Di Ryder’s speech “disgusting and disrespectful”.

Services in Sydney and Melbourne were similarly disrupted. There was also heckling at Busselton.

WA Police said 15 move-on orders were issued in relation to dawn service disruptions “as part of preventative and responsive policing actions.”

RSLWA President Duncan Anderson called those responsible “cretins” for disrespecting the spirit of the day.

“Anzac Day, particularly the dawn service, is a politics free-zone,” Mr Anderson said.

National RSL President Peter Tinley said the organisation was “appalled”.

“The RSL is 110 years old and this is a blight on all veterans,” he said.

“There are 364 other days you can protest on.

“Ironically we fought for the right to have the freedom of speech, and that is a mutual contract to act within the character of what it is to be an ANZAC.”