Page 4366 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 8 December 1993
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Ms Szuty drew attention to the record of this kind of program in Queensland. She said that the official figures indicated that there had been a 22 per cent decrease in vandalism on Queensland public railways as a result of this kind of program being employed. I believe, Madam Speaker, that that kind of goal is achievable in the ACT. I think it is worth at least our trying to see whether that kind of reduction in vandalism, reduction in graffiti and reduction in the cost associated with the removal of graffiti in this community is worth achieving here.
Ms Szuty was prepared to acknowledge that some vandalism is done by graffiti artists. Indeed, it is. If we can attempt to divert those people from the illegal to the legal use of public assets, we are taking a positive step. I might point out, Madam Speaker, that there are some much more stringent responses to graffiti than that proposed by Ms Szuty in this Assembly today. I would like to quote from the Summary Offences (Prevention of Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Act 1992. This is an Act of the South Australian Parliament. I will read just a couple of provisions from it. It says:
A person who, without lawful authority ...
marks graffiti,
is guilty of an offence.
Subsection (3) says:
Where a person is convicted of an offence against subsection (1) ... the court may order the convicted person to pay to the owner or occupier of the property in relation to which the offence was committed such compensation for damage ... as the court considers just.
I am leaving out some words. Subsection (4) is interesting. It says:
A person who -
(a) carries a graffiti implement with the intention of using it to mark graffiti;
or
(b) carries a graffiti implement of a prescribed class without lawful excuse in a public place or a place on which the person is trespassing or has entered without invitation,
is guilty of an offence.
That is legislation which I understand was put forward in the South Australian Parliament by the South Australian Government.
Mr Connolly: They are losing direction, Gary.
MR HUMPHRIES: They will be losing direction very clearly as of Saturday. I have no doubt about that.
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