WIPE OUT: Cardinia Shire councillor Brett Owen wants to see the writing off the wall in Pakenham.
By Paul Dunlop
GRAFFITI is driving residents up the wall.
Business operators and householders in Pakenham, Beaconsfield and other towns have been plagued by an increase in ‘ugly’ tags being sprayed on to walls, fences and shopfronts.
Traders have decried the graffiti as a blight on the community. The growing problem has prompted Cardinia Shire Council to step up efforts to try and stamp it out.
Mayor Bill Ronald said last week he had never seen so much graffiti around Pakenham and that it was starting to appear in other, smaller towns.
“There has been a dramatic and disturbing increase in antisocial behaviour, more now than ever before,” Cr Ronald said.
Pakenham Business Group president Michael Porter said it was a big concern for traders.
Business operators were meeting police and council to outline ways to target that and other problems in the town, he said.
“As Pakenham grows, we want people to appreciate it as a nice place to live and shop. Graffiti does not help,” Mr Porter said.
Residents have also been urged to be more vigilant in reporting graffiti attacks and other problems to council.
Central Ward councillor Brett Owen heads a committee that is investigating ways to combat the scrawled tags that are an increasing frustration for traders and residents.
Cr Owen said the committee, which met for the first time recently, had several initiatives in its sights.
These include:
RESTRICTING the sale and display of spray paint cans.
DEVELOPING a partnership with traders to remove spray paint and large marking pens from open display.
ENCOURAGING young people to take more pride in their town.
“Graffiti seems to be on the increase and it an issue I am very concerned about,” Cr Owen said.
“I would like to encourage residents to report incidents of graffiti on councilowned property for it to be removed as soon as possible. This committee will also consider that council purchase graffiti ‘kits’ that can be distributed on request to affected residents or businesses to assist them in removing graffiti from their property as soon as possible.”
Cardinia’s policy is remove all graffiti on councilowned property and to encourage householders or traders to take similar action on their own buildings.
Cr Owen said Cardinia did not have the resources to match neighbouring Casey council, which has poured up to a million dollars into fighting graffiti in the past few years.
Casey was the first council in Australia to establish a graffiti local law and, under its program, most graffiti on public and private properties is removed at no cost to the property owner.
Cr Owen said Cardinia’s own war on graffiti was on a smaller scale but had a similar aim.
“I want to see our shire graffitifree,” he said.
>>> Is graffiti a problem in your area? Email editorstarnewsgroup.com.au or phone 5945 0666.
