Council call to Bracks to wipe out graffiti

By Rebecca Fraser
CASEY Council has called on the State Government to clean up their act and help wipe out graffiti.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, Edrington Ward councillor Brian Hetherton said he was disgusted by the graffiti along the Pakenham train line between Berwick and Dandenong.
Cr Hetherton called on the State Government to clean up graffiti along Casey’s train tracks and remove unsightly vandalism on buildings and fences as a matter of urgency.
He said the State Government should respect Casey’s policy of zero tolerance in respect to the removal from rateable properties of any graffiti which can be seen from a public road.
Cr Hetherton also moved that the State Government, through the Premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks, be requested to actively pursue a program for removal of graffiti from property over which it exercises control, including train corridors and arterial roads.
The motion also stated that the City of Casey invite the State Government to engage and fund the City of Casey to remove graffiti from State Government-controlled property and privately-controlled property.
Cr Hetherton’s motion attracted strong support from his council colleagues, who said Casey was leading the way in graffiti management.
Mayor Kevin Bradford said Casey had the best graffiti-removal program in Australia and he hoped they could continue to lead the way and provide a good example to other municipalities.
Casey CEO Mike Tyler said council was saving $30,000 to $50,000 a year in graffiti removal following the introduction of the zero-tolerance policy.