By BEN CAMERON
Councils to lobby State Government to step up…
CARDINIA Shire Council may lobby the State Government to employ it to remove graffiti from government-owned transport facilities.
It’s one part of a revised approach to tagging incorporating best practice methods that are also financially efficient.
Chairperson of the Graffiti Reference Group Central Ward Cr Jodie Owen returned from a Zero Tolerance Graffiti Convention in Arizona in April with new plans to eradicate tagging from the shire.
Council will approach both Casey and Dandenong shires to form a coalition to lobby the State Government to provide greater resources for VicTrack and VicRoads to clean graffiti.
It has also floated the idea of offering to remove graffiti on a fee-for-service basis.
Cr Owen said it was important that council and the community understood there was a clear difference between “art” and “vandalism”, as vandalism could decrease property prices by as much as 15 per cent.
“Taggers are like any drug addict, they are addicted,” she said.
“Let’s call tagging what it is, tagging vandalism.”
Cr Brett Owen said graffiti affected people’s perceptions of public safety.
Council will also look to appoint a Community Safety officer to investigate best practice in community education to prevent tagging within the shire.
“Further research is continued to ensure that removal methods are best practice and best available for Cardinia Shire residents and business,” a council report found.
The costs of these strategies are not yet known to council.
