Graffiti laws given a spray

By Paul Pickering
A STATE Government crackdown on graffiti is too little too late according to Ferntree Gully Liberal MP Nick Wakeling.
As the Brumby Government’s new Graffiti Prevention Bill was debated in Parliament earlier this month, Mr Wakeling spoke of his disappointment with the Government’s inability to match the pro-active stance typified by Knox City Council.
Among a raft of new laws and offences, the proposed bill would make it illegal to be in possession of a spray can without lawful excuse and to sell a spray can to a minor without having seen proof of employment purposes.
While Mr Wakeling endorsed the tighter laws, he said the Government had merely got up to speed with long-held Liberal Party policy.
“What a tragedy that this Government has been in power for eight years and only after eight years has it finally decided to do something about this issue,” he said Parliament.
“Every resident who gets on a train at Ferntree Gully railway station and travels into the city on the Belgrave line is reminded of the graffiti at railways stations, in underpasses and on private property.
“They are reminded of the Government’s lack of commitment to removing graffiti.”
Mr Wakeling said that even with the introduction of the Graffiti Prevention Bill, too much responsibility will remain on councils to clean it up.
“(The State Government) is putting the pressure on local government and on local ratepayers to have to fix the problem,” he said.
“There is no effort or initiative by this Government to come out and say, ‘we will remove graffiti’.”
But Alex Twomey, spokesman for the Police and Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron, disagreed.
“To assist councils, graffiti removal programs – where graffiti vandals are made to clean up graffiti as punishment for their crime – will be expanded, with more councils able to use clean-up offender crews,” Mr Twomey said.
Recalling the major clean-up effort in Melbourne before the Commonwealth Games last year, Mr Wakeling said there is no reason why such a program should not be maintained permanently.
For the Commonwealth Games, they said ‘we don’t want world to see it’,” he said. “Apparently, it’s okay for tourists to not look at it but why should the people who pay taxes here have to?”
Having passed through the Legislative Assembly without amendment, the Graffiti Prevention Bill is now under consideration of the Legislative Council.