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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 12 Hansard (19 November) . . Page.. 4304 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

There are hours and hours of work involved in doing this artwork and yet the graffiti removal team can come in with its rollers and, in a very short time, wipe it all out. I understand that there has been a general reduction in available spaces since the mid-90s, when there was a backlash, mainly because graffiti removal teams have not allowed the backs of shops to be used. This should be looked at in terms of its impact on vandalism.

Instead of supporting this ill-considered response, we should be following the lead of places such as Warringah, which has won an award for its approach. Also, most European countries now take a similar approach. Germany, Holland, France and the Scandinavian countries have all worked out that it is a much more intelligent policy to work with young people, recognising the place of graffiti in youth culture. We should evaluate the costs of taking a punitive approach against pushing the kids in the right direction. Graffiti is part of youth culture and is respected by many young people.

We should work with young people in a way that will recognise that graffiti art is a legitimate art form and that, by working with them, you can significantly reduce the incidence of vandalism, as well as support healthy and positive activities for the young people involved.

I also do not know why Mr Cornwell thinks it is mostly under 18-year-olds who are responsible for vandalism of this kind. If he talked to youth workers or young people around Canberra-I doubt they would want to talk to him after the language he has used about them in this place, but if they felt they could talk to him-then he would find out that it is not necessarily the case at all that the people who are vandals are under 18.

Mr Cornwell: You read most of my speech. Didn't you read that section?

MS TUCKER: Mr Cornwell will have an opportunity to respond. I do not interject when he is speaking and ask him not to bother. I also want to make the point that, while this legislation will obviously not be passed, I am very concerned about what is happening in Canberra. We have seen an increase in vandalism. I think it is directly related to a lack of support from government. There are some legal walls, but I think the government should look seriously at how it can support the youth sector, youth workers and youth centres. Members of this Assembly were at Belconnen Youth Centre last week, looking at graffiti art there. There are some projects, but not enough.

We need more mentoring schemes, we need more public spaces and we need to work with the young people. We need to consult with them about the issues of vandalism and we need to give the kids and older people who are involved in this art form an opportunity to have their work respected in the community. That is the key to what they have done in Europe and in Warringah.

Community awareness is needed and that is clearly demonstrated by people like Mr Cornwell, who call young people engaged in this form of art "pathetic specimens". To be fair, he was probably talking about the taggers, but that language is still absolutely repellent. I reject the use of it about young people who, at this point in time, are doing antisocial acts of graffiti. The point is that we need to work with them, to enhance their

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