As Team Wood moved to reclaim Melbourne’s reputation as the world’s most liveable city, Lord Mayoral Candidate Arron Wood has unveiled his plan to tackle the escalating issues of safety and cleanliness that have plagued the city in recent years.
With Melbourne’s streets increasingly marred by illegal graffiti and public concerns over safety at an all-time high, Wood’s plan is a direct response to the failings of the current administration.
“While Nick Reece scrambles to make last-minute announcements before the election, the reality is he’s had four years to tackle this issue and has failed,” Wood stated. “The current leadership at Town Hall has allocated nearly $100 million of taxpayer funds over the last three years, yet the city is dirtier than ever.”
Recent surveys of the electorate reveal an increase in illegal graffiti being a significant concern of residents.
“Team Wood has a clear plan to not just clean up graffiti and tagging, but to stop it occurring in the first place. The current situation is millions of ratepayer dollars being spent to clean surfaces, that are then tagged hours later. No reasonable person would think this is an acceptable strategy” Wood said.
Following other cities who have successfully managed to keep graffiti under control, like Zurich and Tokyo, Arron Wood’s approach to controlling illegal graffiti is three-fold.
“Team Wood will engage with our community to discourage graffiti and vandalism through public awareness campaigns developed to increase city pride. We will also expand designated graffiti sites where legitimate artists can showcase their talents legally.
Further, we will collaborate with relevant legislative bodies to introduce strict penalties for offenders, similar to those in place in other jurisdictions such as Chicago, New York and Sydney, including fines, community service and the ability for the pursuit of civil damages, to function as a deterrent against illegal graffiti. Offenders will be required to clean off graffiti as part of their community service to ensure that taxpayers are not burdened with the clean-up bill.” Wood explained.
In the United States, both New York and Chicago recognise graffiti as a serious crime, punishable by jail time and fines of up to $1,000[1] and $25,000[2] respectively and can face charges by property owners seeking compensation for damages. These punishments not only act as deterrents, but also assist in recouping costs associated with cleaning up graffiti.
Team Wood will also establish a Memorandum of Understanding with Heritage Victoria to agree to removal techniques and materials in advance, enabling fast and efficient removal of graffiti without damaging heritage places.
The former Deputy Lord Mayor believes that collaboration is the best way to drive his cleaner city initiative. Wood proposes to establish a City Cleanliness Taskforce made up of representatives from key agencies including Yarra Trams, Metro Trains, Public Transport Victoria, CitiPower and the Department of Transport to create efficiencies in maintaining public spaces.
Team Wood’s cleaner city initiative also aims to create job opportunities for the long-term unemployed. The new procurement policy for graffiti removal services will include guidelines for service providers to employ individuals recovering from addiction and homelessness.
Reflecting on his previous tenure on the Council, during which Melbourne was ranked as the world’s most liveable city for seven out of eight years (2011-2017), Wood emphasised the importance of focusing on practical, everyday issues. “Global recognition is great, but what truly matters is that the people who live and work in Melbourne feel it is the best place to be. Improving our city’s aesthetic appeal and increasing people’s sense of safety is key to achieving this.”
“People are sick of the endless announcements of graffiti blitzes with no action from the Town Hall leadership. The City of Melbourne deserves better than a Lord Mayor who is more concerned about winning an election than getting anything done”.
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