3 June 2009
FIFIELD URGES SUPPORT FOR MENTONE GRAFFITI STRATEGY
Senator Mitch Fifield, Coalition spokesman for the Voluntary Sector, today urged the State Government to back local community efforts to tackle graffiti.
Senator Fifield, along with local Liberal MPs Murray Thompson and Inga Peulich, attended the Friends of Mentone Station and Gardens anti-graffiti rally on Saturday 30 May to support decisive action to tackle the ongoing vandalism of the station.
The chair of the Friends, Gary Spencer AM, presented a series of tough recommendations to stamp out graffiti in the local area, including mandatory community service and increased parental responsibility.
“Disappointingly, State Labor member Janice Munt declined to back the plan when addressing the rally, saying only that she would look at the ideas,” Senator Fifield said.
“The State Labor Government needs to understand how seriously the local community regards the issue of graffiti and vandalism. Commuters are regularly intimidated as they use Mentone station and thousands of dollars of local money and hundreds of hours of volunteer time is spent cleaning up the mess.
“It’s time more attention was given to the rights of victims rather than the rights of offenders. The volunteer members of the Friends of Mentone Station and Gardens deserve our support,” said Senator Fifield.