More resources for graffiti removal

By EMMA SUN
YARRA Ranges Council will have another graffiti removal vehicle to aid its fight against graffiti.
And it will offer a free removal service to “residents that are frail or vulnerable who do not have the ability or capacity to arrange for graffiti removal”.
Councillors last Tuesday approved the motion for the additional vehicle and associated equipment, which will cost about $62,000.
Council bought its first vehicle last year to help volunteers.
Cr Richard Higgins said the amount of graffiti directly correlated with the perceived safety in the area, and said having two units would enable the council to remove graffiti quicker.
He said the council would also advocate to utility service companies to encourage them to clean messes that appear on their property, such as lamp posts and work with volunteer groups.
“Council can’t do all the areas graffiti appears on and it’s not going to all go away, but it’s a great step towards achieving it.”
However, Cr Noel Cliff and Cr Jeanette McRae argued during the meeting that the service should be free to all residents, with Cr McRae suggesting an alternate motion to reflect it.
“Removal should be for all tagging and now that we have two units, everything should be under control,” Cr Cliff said.
“I’m flabbergasted about this one – we should just do it and take pride in our shire, and show we can do something without hitting ourselves over the head with it.”
But Cr Higgins said it was important for residents to care for their own property.
“Ridding graffiti requires a multi-pronged attack,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic thought, but if people don’t take ownership, it won’t work because nobody would care.
“We need to draw the line somewhere – it’s so easy to remove graffiti, so we need to teach people to help themselves because otherwise we’ll always be cleaning it up.”