Rees Talks Tough on Graffiti Vandalism

NSW Premier Nathan Rees has announced tough new laws to tackle graffiti and to force young offenders to clean up their mess.

This is welcome news and a positive start to a more realistic approach to overcoming the evil of indiscriminate vandalism which is both environmentally destructive and economically damaging.

Graffiti costs the community $35 million a year in NSW alone apart from the worry and heartache to businesses and people adversely affected by the vandalism on their properties.

Premier Rees said this week that it’s time the offenders got the message: If you make a mess you have to clean it up.

“Frankly the community has had enough” he said “and I’ve had enough”.

Ken Marslew from Enough is Enough anti-violence movement has endorsed the reforms which includes forcing young offenders to confront their victims and face up to their behaviour. He says we need to make sure we’re getting the right outcomes so the punishment fits the crime.

The NSW Government will amend the Young Offenders Regulation to mandate outcomes for graffiti offenders, Nathan Rees said.

Youth justice conferences will require vandals to clean up graffiti or perform community service work, pay compensation to their victims or participate in training or education programs.

The Weekly Times welcomes the Premier’s announcement as a starting point at least. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

We have made representations to the Government and Opposition in the past and to the Police Commissioner who has said it is a political decision.

We still firmly believe that so-called “community service work” is not good enough and is rarely supervised adequately. Offenders should be forced to personally clean up their offending vandalism as well as financial compensation to the offended parties.

And further, parental responsibility should be enforced. This is probably the only true guarantee of eliminating rather than reducing graffiti vandalism.

If a parent or guardian is found to be responsible for cleaning up graffiti it certainly concentrates the mind in no uncertain manner.

Where this has been practised in the USA graffiti has been completely eliminated.

But, from Today . . .

While we commend Premier Rees on his tough stand on graffiti the rest of the news is not so good.

From today, Wednesday July 1 2009 , the State Government is responsible for some disastrous and incredibly irresponsible actions.

FROM TODAY water costs to one and all go up by an indefensible 23 percent while still imposing water restrictions when the existing dams are nearly full and to help pay for the scandalous and environmentally damaging $2 billion plus desalination plant scarring the birthplace of modern Australia.

FROM TODAY electricity charges are hiking upwards as are State Government waste disposal costs to local government and State Government is more than doubling parking levies … and bus and ferry charges are up … plus, plus, plus.

NSW used to be the Premier State. It has become the State of Desperation and Disillusionment to many. Any wonder many people can hardly wait for the opportunity to make it a State of Change.

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