Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Recently the Barnett government announced strong legislative changes to combat graffiti in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia have had enough of graffiti vandals damaging public and private property. It is often offensive, is always unsightly and wastes resources of the state and local governments and private property owners, both businesses and homeowners. The government of Western Australia and local governments outlay some $25 million a year in cleaning up and removing graffiti. It has gotten worse, with a 30 per cent increase between 2003-04 and 2007-08. The tide has now turned, and I have personally had many discussions with the state government regarding these matters, including advancing proposals for action. New state laws will double the maximum time in prison from one to two years and the maximum fine from $12,000 to $24,000. They are also making it an offence to sell graffiti implements to minors, with a penalty of $6,000 for a first offence and $12,000 for subsequent offences.

The people primarily responsible for graffiti are a very small number of teenagers and males in their early 20s. Sadly, it seems that they have not been brought up properly to have respect for the law and the property of others. They have not been told that the way to make your mark on the world is to build something or achieve something positive in the community. I can only conclude that they have been brought up without such guidance or the positive examples that parents and carers should provide. Sadly, someone who defaces the property of others has the sort of attitude that will ensure that they will make no good contribution to society.

Fortunately, there are those in the community that make a contribution that is positive. I know of many young people in Cowan that care about their community and report graffiti to my office so that we can follow it up. That is the stark contrast between those who vandalise and will amount to nothing and those who take active steps to oppose the scourge of graffiti vandalism and will make this nation an even better place to live now and in the future. I have mentioned many of these young people in previous speeches because the essential point regarding graffiti vandalism is that, while strong laws are required and the need for accountability for their crimes must be achieved, it requires the public to make a stand. People like those that are members of my Cowan Community Watch must stand up and be counted, report the graffiti vandalism they see, report the offenders they observe and report suspicious activity in our communities. I get many reports of graffiti vandalism and many suggestions of what must be done with offenders. Overwhelmingly, the people of Cowan want graffiti vandals held to account. They want fines, they want restitution, they want offenders forced into cleaning up their mess and they want punishment, but above all they just want the graffiti to stop. What we now need is for the magistrates to take a hard line and impose the right penalties.

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