The City of Greater Dandenong works in partnership with the community regarding all aspects of graffiti. Council's Graffiti Management Program works on the four successful pillars of education, engagement, erasure and enforcement, and a number of programs are in place to manage graffiti.
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Graffiti is to write, draw, mark, scratch or otherwise deface property by any means without consent, and so that the defacement is not easily removable. The materials commonly used for graffiti are spray cans, felt tipped pens and sharp instruments.
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- Report graffiti to council immediately on 9239 5100
- Report graffiti to the police as well- it’s important to let the police know so they are aware of the issues and can take appropriate action.
- Remove graffiti from your property within 24 hours- council can assist you with this (see the removal section of this brochure)
TIP: Be as specific as possible when reporting the graffiti. Make sure you give the location address (including the closest house number or the name of the park or street) and give as much information as you can (such as surface type, size, etc). The more information you give, the quicker action can be taken.
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Always remove graffiti within 24 hours - it’s physically easier to remove and also gives a clear message that graffiti won’t last long on your property. Remember graffiti attracts more graffiti, so leaving it on your property could encourage more.
Graffiti on private property
If you have graffiti on your property (residential or commercial) you can choose one of the following options for removal:
- Option 1: Remove the graffiti yourself - free graffiti removal product available from Council subject to available stocks. The product is only suitable for brick, colour bond, concrete and unpainted metal surfaces. Contact Council on 9239 5100 for more information.
- Option 2: Arrange for a private contractor to remove graffiti (listed in Yellow Pages)
- Option 3: Access council's "user pays" graffiti removal contractor Urban Maintenance Systems (UMS) who will provide a professional removal service via an easy credit card transaction over the phone. Ph 9265 5811.
To discuss these options contact Council on 9239 5100.
Household graffiti removal guide
Below is a guide to removing spray paint and felt pen graffiti from specific surfaces. These are suggestions only and the City of Greater Dandenong makes no guarantees that these products will work on all surfaces. Always do a spot test first to ensure that the product is right for the surface.
- Foam Oven Cleaner- Glass/Aluminium, Brick, Concrete Slab (spray paint only)
- Liquid Laundry Detergent- Glass/Aluminium, Concrete
- Turpentine- Glass/Aluminium
- Eucalyptus Oil- Glass/Aluminium
Painting out
If you have a painted or wooden fence, painting out graffiti is the most efficient and cost effective option. Keep some left over paint to use should you need to remove graffiti again, otherwise a paint store can colour match. When painting over the graffiti, test a small area, and if the graffiti bleeds through the paint, use a sealant first.
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Blank walls and fences attract graffiti as do corner blocks and high visibility fences. You can reduce the likelihood of graffiti on your property by:
- Using appropriate garden planting, such as vines or spiky plants- one of the cheapest and most effective ways of preventing graffiti
- Use darker coloured materials for fences (if you use one of council’s standard colours, we can give you with a small supply of paint if you ever experience graffiti. Contact council for more details).
- Use an anti graffiti coating in high risk areas
- Maintain your property in good order- a poorly maintained property attracts graffiti
- Design fences so they are less likely to be graffitied (such as a wrought iron fence)
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Legal Art murals are an attractive way to prevent graffiti on a wall or fence. Council works with private property owners, businesses and young people to develop public mural art that benefits everyone. Council’s mural art program targets areas most heavily affected by graffiti.
The program promotes the message ‘Art not Tags’ to highlight that graffiti done without permission is a criminal offence. The program gives artists the opportunity to put their skills into positive, legal mural art projects, and promote their work while giving businesses and private property a fresh, new look.
To get involved in a mural art project contact Community Safety on 9239 5100 or Youth Services on 9771 6624.
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The City of Greater Dandenong's Graffiti Management Plan is currently being reviewed and will be publicly available in the near-future.
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The Graffiti Prevention Act 2007 came into force in April 2008. The Act increased penalities for graffiti offences and now granted Police the right to search and charge people aged 14 years and older. The City of Greater Dandenong has a wallet sized pamphlet about the law, the legal activities Council offers, and where to get help locally if things go wrong. For more information contact Council on 9239 5100 Download Graffiti - The Smart Way Forward pamphlet Top of page
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