Council wants reimbursment for removing graffiti on state-owned property

Council wants reimbursment for removing graffiti on state-owned property In short: A council in Melbourne’s south-east says it wants the government to refund the costs of removing graffiti on state-owned infrastructure. The City of Casey says about 30 per cent of the graffiti it removes is from state-owned property. The Department of Transport and Planning said it regularly removed graffiti from the transport network and that vandalism should be reported to police. Tim Killworth has turned his job into something of an art form, but he says the graffiti he cleans is anything but. Within half an hour of receiving a report, the 69-year-old is on site and cleaning stretches of graffiti in Melbourne's south-east. "We're removing 80 per cent of the graffiti within one day," he said. "It's pointless. I mean it's not even art. It's vandalism, pure and simple." The City of Casey responded to 7,375 graffiti removal requests last financial year, among the highest in Melbourne. Nearly one-third of those reports were for vandalism on state-owned assets, like street signs and rail infrastructure along the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines. Mayor Michelle Crowther said council contractors ended up cleaning many sites that were the state government's responsibility. "Council is funding the removal of graffiti on state assets, and we would like the state government to refund the investment we are making," she said. "We'd like them to take responsibility for their assets and act in a timely manner to remove graffiti." The council spent more than $780,000 on graffiti management last financial year. The cost of cleaning up The ABC asked more than a dozen Melbourne councils about graffiti in their local areas. Data showed the City of Melbourne cleaned the most graffiti by area for the 2025-26 financial year. In Casey, removal requests have steadily increased over the past five years, which the council said could be explained by increased reporting and community concern. "We are committed to providing a clean and welcoming space for our community," Ms Crowther said. The council is one of Melbourne's largest, extending from Narre Warren in the north to newer suburbs like Botanic Ridge and Devon Meadows in the south. It is also one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. By 2041, the population will rise by more than 54 per cent. Unlike other municipalities, Casey contractors are also tasked with cleaning graffiti from private properties at no cost to owners. Ms Crowther knows what it's like to be targeted. Her own business in Cranbourne was spray-painted several years ago. "I didn't know that the council offered free removal at the time," she said. "As a small business owner, we just didn't have the time or the money to remove it as quickly ourselves." Online reporting platform, Snap Send Solve had an 11 per cent increase in the number of graffiti reports across the state last financial year. Residents can upload a photo and send reports of graffiti or vandalism, which is then coordinated by local councils. "Graffiti continues to be a problem that plagues Melbourne," chief executive Danny Gorog said. The platform does not measure reports by council area, instead it breaks down parts of the state by geography. Melbourne's south-east recorded 10,222 incidents last financial year — a slight drop of 4 per cent — but still the second highest in the state. "For graffiti, 93 per cent of people who respond … tell us that the issue was resolved," Mr Gorog said. Casey council said it was willing to clean state-owned sites, if an appropriate funding model was in place. It has written to the state government to ask for a cost-sharing arrangement. Brad Battin is the Liberal MP for Berwick, which sits on the northern tip of the municipality. He said local ratepayers should not have to pay to clean up state-owned assets. "Graffiti, potholes, overgrown grass and poorly maintained public spaces have become symbols of a state that looks tired, neglected and in desperate need of a fresh start,"he said. The Department of Transport and Planning said it regularly removed graffiti from the transport network, including in Casey. "Graffiti has no place on our transport infrastructure, and we encourage anyone who witnesses acts of vandalism to report it to Victoria Police," a spokesperson said. "Metro Trains invests more than $10 million every year to clean up the network — removing 249,648m of graffiti from its infrastructure last financial year." Rapid removal and spaces for creativity Casey launched a new push to crack down on vandalism in July, which combined rapid removal, prevention and opportunities for creative expression. "One of those ways is targeting our youth with proactive art opportunities to reduce the need for graffiti," Ms Crowther said. "We're going to be looking at potential places for that across playgrounds and other high-visibility places that we could actually encourage non-offensive graffiti," she said. For those on the job, it is a race against the clock to clean the unruly sites, which are sometimes targeted twice in the same day. Mr Killworth said he was not fazed and issued a spray to those looking to do the wrong thing. "We've got more paint than you," he said. [Image text:] kleenit joodore