Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The marks of graffiti vandalism left on public and private premises leave an ugly image in the mind and are faced by communities across the country. Graffiti vandalism also reduces the value of properties and the aesthetic appeal of our local communities. On top of this, illegal graffiti is a type of criminal vandalism that costs communities many thousands of dollars each year to clean up. In New South Wales it is punishable by imprisonment, community service orders and fines of up to $2,000.

Constituents of Hughes, both before and after the previous election, have reported their disgust at unwanted graffiti, particularly in the Menai, Wattle Grove, Holsworthy and Panania areas. In budget figures presented just a fortnight ago, the Sutherland Shire Council announced that they had spent over $150,000 on graffiti and graffiti removal programs. Recent figures also show there were some 1,411 reported incidents in the year to March, with 21,903 square metres of graffiti removed over this period.

A genuinely positive story has recently come out of the Liverpool area. Just over two years ago, a local resident, Allan Dabbagh, formed a community group dedicated to the removal of graffiti in our local community. The group, run entirely by local volunteers and funded out of the pockets of the many dozens of residents involved, works by dividing volunteers into categories responsible for individual streets. and they have had stunning results.

The Locals Against Graffiti Gangs,or LAGG, aims to remove graffiti within 24 to 48 hours of it going up, but they regularly beat this target. Back when the group was formed, this ambitious target for the rapid removal of graffiti was a principal concept in its creation. As Mr Dabbagh noted:

One of the most effective ways to abate or stop graffiti is rapid removal. Graffiti artists want their tags to be seen, and if it's removed quickly it discourages them. It's the best way we can fight back.

LAGG has been funded out of the pockets of local volunteers. In recent weeks they received a supportive boost to the operations by Liverpool City Council. In its April meeting, the council voted to allocate a grant of $10,000 to the group over the next two years. The funding is to be used to spread the word and to buy cleaning products and uniforms. The Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Ned Mannoun, who moved the motion, said afterwards:

When the council works with the community you get better results and, while we have been working with LAGG, I don't think it's fair they should have to pay for this themselves.

Indeed, it is not.

The LAGG website displays a media article from 13 August 2010, just before the last federal election, when the Minister for Home Affairs made a $50,000 commitment for a graffiti removal van for Wattle Grove. A similar commitment was made for Engadine, also in my electorate of Hughes. We have heard a great many claims that Labor will deliver on all election commitments made by all candidates. On 20 October last year the Prime Minister said:

Yes, I do commit to keeping the promises at a local level that Labor and Labor candidates made at the last election.

But do we ever really know with this government? The local community should be rightly suspicious of this promise. After all, it was this Labor Prime Minister that made the notorious comment just before the last election:

There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead.

I hope that this Labor government does not try to squirm out of this commitment by pouring money into marginal seats going to the next election, and I promise I will not let this issue rest until this commitment is delivered in full.

Finally, I congratulate the member for Fowler for announcing his support for the coalition policy to provide funds for CCTV cameras in the Liverpool CBD, an area badly neglected by Labor for many years. If he is committed, as his quote to the Liverpool Leader suggests, then I welcome his support and would be glad to work with him. If not, then the residents of Liverpool can rest assured that the provision of CCTV cameras is an ongoing coalition commitment that will be delivered under the next coalition government.