samantha in the media

Retirees scour streets cleaning graffiti in custom-built ute
Channel 9 News
by Dougal Beatty
22 Jul 2014


on the campaign trail
Power Pricing Promise
Greens are pitching for a fair deal for solar panels
Maroondah Leader
22 Jul 2014

samantha in the press - graffiti

Performance tags graffiti message
Mail Newspaper
21 June 2011

tagging on public assets

Ever wondered who you should call to report tagging on public buildings or assets, this list might assist.

Australia Post - 13 7678
Melbourne Water - 13 1722
Metro Trains - 1800 696 876
Shire of Yarra Ranges - 1300 368 333
SPAusnet - 1300 36
Telstra - 13 2200
Victorian Government - 1300 366 356
(there's a number of different government departments but the operator will help you get through to the right one)
Yarra Valley Water - 13 2762

a wheelie good idea

Trader and Township groups across the shire are helping keep local streets free from tagging using Council's latest initiative in graffiti cleanup, the 'Portable Graffiti Removal Kit'.

From left to right: Cr Samantha Dunn - Lyster Ward, Alan Fincher - Monbulk Police, Merryn Auldist - Graffiti Officer from the Shire and Linda Hancock - Community Safety Victoria Police checking out the contents of the graffiti wheelie bin.

The kits, which are conveniently stored in a wheelie bin, are equipped with graffiti removal chemicals, paint, brushes, bins, goggles and gloves to assist traders to safely remove tagging from small areas including windows, walls, signs and other areas.

After the success of our Graffiti Trailer, the wheelie bin kits have been developed to provide an easy way for Trader and Township groups to remove tagging as soon as it happens. Their portability makes them very easy to transport to locations where graffiti needs to be removed.

The Wheelie Bin Graffiti Removal Kits are available for local use in Belgrave, Healesville, Kilsyth, Monbulk, Montrose, Mooroolbark, Mount Evelyn , Tecoma, Wandin North and Yarra Junction.

Trader, Township and Community groups wishing to use the graffiti trailer or the new portable wheelie bin kits can contact Council's Community Links or Yarra Ranges Youth Services on 9294 6750.

Did you know that as a resident you can get a free graffiti removal kit at any of the Shire's community links?

There are three different types of kits,
One removes graffiti from:
Painted surfaces, Sensitive surfaces,
Perspex, Gates, Signs & Doors
The second removes graffiti from:
Masonry, Brick & Stone
The third removes graffiti from:
Road signage, Play equipment,
Outdoor furniture, Bus shelters,
School furniture & Indoor walls

Just pop in to one of our links and ask for one if you need one.

is this art?

The story of famous street artist Banksy's work being removed by Melbourne City Council has provoked a lot of conversation about graffiti, street art and tagging today.

Is this art? This stencil appeared in a Belgrave Laneway some years ago, long painted over, but was it vandalism or art?

Coincidentally I attended the Shire's Graffiti Management Working Group today to talk about graffiti issues across the shire where the Banksy issue came up in discussion. The Group mainly oversees the implementation of the Shire's Graffiti Management Plan which covers off on a range of prevention, early intervention and pro-active responses to graffiti issues. Our approach is a whole of community approach and we work with business, local communities, government and non government organisations.

Our goal is to minimise the incidence of graffiti, reduce the cost of graffiti and improve the sense of community safety.

The definition of graffiti in our community is unclear, is it street art, is it tagging, is it vandalism, or is it all of these things? Often the term graffiti is used in a way to describe vandalism and I consider that there are two very distinct and different categories of graffiti. It is abundantly clear to me that tagging is about vandalism, it is the sort of graffiti that makes communities feel unsafe and encourages anti social behaviour. Street Art however is different, the expansive murals, quirky stencils, love it or hate it, it's role on our streets is quite different and it does not have the same impact on our communities as tagging.

Street art continues to be controversial, but tagging is unsightly and should be tackled the minute it appears. Did you know that you can get a free graffiti removal kit at any of the Shire's community links? Just pop in and ask for one if you need one.

The clean up and continued maintenance of Blacksmiths Way in Belgrave to remove all the tagging was a great community effort, driven by the Traders resulted in less anti social behaviour and less incidence of crime in the laneway.

Melbourne is world renowned for its street art, people travel across the globe to look through our lanes and back streets at a myriad of street art. Banksy's work on Hosier Lane was a testament to this reputation. It is interesting to look at the responses provoked by its removal. Street art by its very nature is ephemeral, here today – gone tomorrow, I don't think the artists expect their work to stand the test of time.