Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning I speak on behalf of the many residents of the federal electorate of Cowan, and no doubt every other electorate around the country, who are fed up with the extent of graffiti vandalism that afflicts our residential, business and public buildings and open places throughout our suburbs. While the numbers of sworn officers within the WA Police are woefully inadequate and getting worse, the police are unable to get on top of the problem. In Western Australia, just like in New South Wales and Victoria, so I am told, it is very clear that the state governments have no political will to address this problem. Graffiti is very expensive to remediate and is a seemingly endless problem for private citizens, business owners and local governments.

The state governments prefer the soft option of reaction or, even worse, toleration. They, in fact, leave the problem to private groups and local governments—a soft option by soft, ineffectual and unresponsive state governments. I therefore have proposed that a plan be instituted to crack down on the sale and control of spray paint cans. In spite of the locking up of these cans in hardware stores, graffiti vandalism remains at epidemic levels.

My proposal is that the state parliaments pass laws to require serial numbers to appear on all cans and that the sighting of photographic identification and the need to keep records be imposed on suppliers. In this way cans found in the possession of vandals could be traced back to the purchaser and action could then be taken by the police. Obviously, this would significantly increase the cost of spray cans. That would be acceptable, however, when compared with the cost imposed on innocent members of the community caused by the scourge of vandalism.

These laws would impose a serious responsibility on purchasers. In cases where a can was found at the scene of vandalism or in the possession of a vandal, the original purchaser would have to have reported the theft of the can or subsequently face a fine. I recommend such a hard line on this matter with strict and absolute liability being applied. The people of my electorate have had enough and, I suspect, the country has had enough. The people of Australia want action, and I therefore recommend to the parliament this hard line to address the problem of graffiti.