Elsie Lange
Hume council will ask Victoria Police to come down harder on graffiti offenders, including on the illegal sale of spray cans to minors.
According to council officers, Hume spends about $120,000 a year on graffiti removal from council-owned public property.
Between May 2022 and January 2023, Hume responded to more than 750 graffiti service requests across the municipality.
The motion, raised by councillor Jack Medcraft at a meeting on February 13, asked to write to the relevant police assistant commissioner outlining council’s graffiti concerns, seeking more information about the “monitoring and enforcement” of shops selling aerosol paints.
“I wonder what’s happened here. If it’s an offence, I don’t recall seeing anybody in Sunbury or Bulla or anyone else that’s been arrested, charged and taken to task over this,” Cr Medcraft said.
“I would ask the police – if it’s an offence, it should be acted upon.”
He said even though it was an offence to sell aerosol paint to people under the age of 18, it was clearly still happening in the municipality.
“I think we’ve really dropped the ball here and police have got to start enforcing the action on these graffitists,” he said.
Hume city services and living director Hector Gaston said council officers reported “from time to time” instances of illegal activity related to graffiti to police.
Council officers said while larger retailers had strict controls in place to meet their requirements under the Victorian Graffiti Act 2007, including proof of age checks and locked spray can stock, council was aware “several, smaller discount retailers operating… that do not have such controls in place“.
“Increased inspections and enforcement action across these small businesses is critical to broader graffiti prevention efforts,“ council officers said.
Mayor Joseph Haweil said graffiti concerns were one of the top complaints council receive from residents every day.
“About the destruction of our built environment by people who I think are very selfish, who are going out there and destroying peoples’ property and indeed public property,” Cr Haweil said.
“Anything we can do to get on top of that … is a step in the right direction.”
