John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about Graffiti Removal Day, which is on this coming Sunday, 23 September. Graffiti is an issue that generates widespread community concern and can have a negative impact on community perceptions of safety and public amenity. Typically most graffiti is done under the cover of darkness, and offenders are usually aged between 15 and 25 and are overwhelmingly male. Graffiti on public or private property is a criminal offence; however, much of the crime goes unreported and undetected.

Even though graffiti is considered by some as a petty crime, there is a substantial cost to the community, both socially and economically, and it breeds a criminal culture. Estimations on the cost of graffiti across Australia are of $1.5 billion annually. When communities and local businesses discover they have been the target of graffiti they feel anger, shock and fear. Sadly, each year there is a terrible cost for families and communities when young people are accidentally killed while engaged in the application of graffiti to train carriages or to the rail corridor.

Parents, teachers and, indeed, all adults need to look out for warning signs that a child is involved with graffiti, such as possession of spray paint cans or other types of paint, possession of an excessive number of large permanent marker pens, paint on hands or clothing, photos of graffiti on mobile phones or network internet sites, and practising the same type of scribble or tags on paper continuously. If you suspect a child is participating in graffiti vandalism it is important that it is discussed with the child and explained to them that graffiti is an illegal activity and may result in juvenile detention. There are many organisations that offer assistance in this area, such as the PCYC and Kids Helpline.

The aim of Graffiti Removal Day is to highlight the problem of graffiti and encourage people to volunteer their time to get involved in the removal and prevention of graffiti. The day will complement and not replace existing volunteer graffiti removal programs which we are all very grateful for. I am pleased that Rotary Down Under has embraced Graffiti Removal Day and will conduct clean-up sites across the country. Rotary will work with local councils, property owners, government agencies, community groups, businesses and other members of the public to identify, remove and prevent graffiti. People can get involved in Graffiti Removal Day by volunteering to help at a clean-up site promoting Graffiti Removal Day or nominating a site. I will be participating in the clean-up of West Ryde in my electorate of Bennelong this coming Sunday and I trust many of my colleagues will also do the same.