Ms Hatfield Dodds, the national director of Uniting Care Australia, president of the Australian Council of Social Service and the ACT Australian of the Year for 2008, said her decision not to run reflected "the changed symbolism of the Olympic torch relay", from one of harmony to one of multiple meanings, including concern about human-rights abuses.

She wanted to make a "clear and unambiguous statement" that she and the organisations she worked for were on the side of human rights.

"I have made the decision not to run because my personal commitment to standing with those who are vulnerable and marginalised and the leadership positions I hold in the Uniting Church and ACOSS make it important to ensure that my actions do not leave any doubt about our commitment to human rights," she said.

The replacement for Ms Hatfield Dodds will be Canberran Jo Brown, a two-time Olympic softballer.

ACT Olympic Torch Relay Organising Committee chair Ted Quinlan said he had "nothing but admiration" for Ms Hatfield Dodds.

"I respect the right of everyone to peacefully protest, I respect the right of everyone to make a choice as to whether they participate in the relay or not," he said.

Mr Quinlan denied that the withdrawal had cast a further pall over the event but said "it does show the protest action has had an impact".

While groups from the youth socialist outfit Resistance to the Tibet Australia Council to the Chinese Students and Scholars Association are all promising to have a peaceful presence in Canberra on Thursday, the cost of accounting for potentially violent protests has seen the Government's budget for the torch relay blow out.

Mr Stanhope said the Government had originally allocated $900,000 to $1million to the relay with a commitment from the Commonwealth to split the cost 50-50. While he did not have final numbers, he now expected that cost would have doubled due to increased security measures such as putting a fence along the 16km route.

His Government "didn't anticipate a barricade along the entire route; we didn't anticipate there would be hundreds of police involved in the event".

Mr Stanhope said he was disappointed the relay route had to be changed for security reasons and that Canberrans had to put up with a steel fence snaking around their city.

"I don't like the look of it, I don't like the feel of it ... It's quite a blow, to some extent, to the innocence of our city that we have take such significant security precautions, but we must do it. We need to be prepared, it's a way of ensuring some crowd control."

ACT Chief Police Officer Michael Phelan declined to reveal exact numbers but said "at least half" of Canberra's police officers as well as other Australian Federal Police from interstate would be assigned to the torch relay. There are an estimated 700-plus sworn officers in the ACT.

Mr Phelan said police work rosters had been changed to account for the relay but he assured Canberrans the remainder of the city would still have adequate police protection.

"For the rest of the ACT, it'll be business as usual so they'll be normal patrols covering north and south," he said.

Mr Phelan reiterated the Chinese torch attendants would play no part in security. He was confident the AFP could protect the torch from protesters, adding anyone had a right to demonstrate peacefully.

"There's always a couple of ratbags that want to jump on as individuals and do something stupid. And we've got a lot of contingency plans in place to deal with those types of situations," he said.

Protest hot spots are expected to be Reconciliation Place, Parliament House and Commonwealth Park, with organisers appealing for Anzac Parade to be protest-free on the eve of Anzac Day.

Mr Quinlan said some of the "huskier" torch-bearers would be carrying the flame near likely trouble areas but none were expected to "deal with protesters" themselves.

"It doesn't take Einstein to work out we're likely to get a crowd at the beginning [at Reconciliation Place], we're likely to get a crowd at the end [at Commonwealth Park] and we're likely to get a crowd around Parliament House. They're the only spots I've imagined will be a problem," he said. "One step further from that, we're appealing to people who want to protest, please stay away from Anzac Parade and the War Memorial. On the eve of Anzac Day, please show some respect for that particular part of town."

Whatever assurances of peaceful protest had been given, Mr Quinlan suggested some protesters may simply want to push the envelope.

"No matter how much commitment there might be from the Tibetan community and most of the people who come to support them, there may be one or two who want to take it the further mile, might want to match what they've seen overseas," he said. There will be major road closures on Thursday making it more difficult for some people to get to work in the parliamentary triangle and Civic. Mr Stanhope stopped short of declaring a public holiday, instead asking Canberrans to be patient and perhaps take an alternative route. The flame is due to arrive in Canberra tomorrow, with the relay starting on Thursday at Reconciliation Place at 8.45am and finishing about 11.40am in Commonwealth Park.