Graffiti officer could help on Castlemaine street art crackdown

Mount Alexander Shire councillors will soon vote on a new graffiti management policy including a year-long spend on an officer to help coordinate the community's response to the growing problem.

The council has been grappling with rising amounts of graffiti reports including 71 incidents in the 12 months to June 2023.

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"Traditionally, incidents of graffiti are underreported, and it is estimated that these figures may represent only ten per cent of all graffiti incidents within Mount Alexander Shire," shire officers said in a report ahead of the vote.

They had noticed multiple trends including illegal street art returning after earlier pieces had been removed, more offensive content and multiple sites being targeted by "the same individual(s)".

That echoes some of the concerns raised in the community over recent times.

"I almost think there is not a conversation we have in which I don't mention graffiti, at this point," mayor Rosie Annear said in April 2023 when asked about the problem.

The council's new graffiti officer would help deal with some of the complexities of illegal street art, council staff said.

That includes working with the many groups that own or manage the buildings and other assets targeted by illegal street artists, they said.

The graffiti officer would help spearhead a consistent community response and the council would reassess after one year.

The draft policy stops short of giving council extra powers over the removal of graffiti on private property.

Councils have that power under Victoria's Graffiti Prevention Act 2007 but do not necessarily use it.

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Mount Alexander Shire officers have recommended councillors keep the current approach, which requires the property owners themselves to remove offensive graffiti.

They also want to collaborate with Victoria Police to share images, CCTV footage, graffiti hotspot locations, tagger IDs and graffiti removal costs.

Councillors will vote on the new graffiti management policy during a meeting on Tuesday, September 19.

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