We All Need to Take Action on Graffiti

Most forms of graffiti are messy, offensive and ugly. It needs all of us to respond, whether it be Council, property owners, tenants or  the general public. The photo below shows some messy graffiti in the heart of Daylesford.

People have the right to protest and voice their opinions. However that should always be done in a respectful manner. To damage or paint on walls or other areas is unlawful and often offensive. It rarely gains any respect or support for that cause. There are many respectful ways of voicing our concerns on important issues.

The graffiti on the Big Rainbow at Victoria Park is another example of offensive action by people who should be condemned for such behaviour.

Where murals or painting of walls has been sponsored as quality art work then that can be quite attractive as has been done in a few places in towns and cities. The Art Silos in northern Victoria are very positive examples.

Melbourne City has some good examples of wall art, but unfortunately it has many, many examples of ugly and offensive graffiti. Travel along some of the freeways or trainlines and you will see huge amounts of ugly graffiti. Unfortunately, the relevant authorities seem to have given up on taking action. Vic Roads is short of funds and the graffiti is ignored in favour of trying to deal with the many failing road surfaces.

Locally, our Council has an important role to play in quickly removing graffiti on its public buildings and other infrastructure such as skateparks. Offenders often get discouraged if their work is quickly removed. Leaving graffiti on only encourages the offenders and others to follow them.

It is also the responsibility of property owners and tenants to remove graffiti rather than leave it on their commercial buildings. The photo below is the same commercial building where the initial graffiti was left and then added to as offenders may have thought that it was okay. After a few months of no action, two locals took action and painted over with matching paint. While that action, technically, may not have been the “right thing to do”, waiting for others had only resulted in more graffiti being added by offenders.

If you see graffiti please report it to Council. Council can talk to property owners and tenants to seek their support to remove the graffiti. If the graffiti is on Council property then reporting it can assist to ensure that Council removes it promptly. If you witness someone carrying out graffiti report it to the police. Some offenders use a personal “tag” which can identify them.

Let us all work together to ensure that our Hepburn Shire towns and communities do not become ugly graffiti sites. Genuine protesters can express their views in many ways rather than harm their causes.

Victor Szwed
Daylesford