- Minister for Crime Prevention
The Andrews Labor Government is helping to reduce graffiti and improve open spaces in Boroondara.
Minister for Crime Prevention Ben Carroll officially unveiled a new mural at Auburn Village in Hawthorn today, made possible thanks to $30,000 from the Labor Government's Graffiti Prevention Grant Program.
Created by talented Melbourne artists Mike Makatron and Conrad Bizjak and located along Auburn Road, the mural depicts Australian flora and fauna.
The City of Boroondara also contributed more than $6000 towards the mural, which was designed to cover previous graffiti hot spots on the wall along the pathway between the shopping centre and railway station.
The mural is part of a broader graffiti prevention and public safety project supported by the council, which includes new public seating at the train station entrance, and new signage and landscaping.
Since 2015, the Labor Government has provided nearly $1.8 million in grant funding to support 91 Graffiti Prevention Grant projects across the state, including 19 projects in the most recent 2018-19 grant round.
Boroondara has received five grants under the program since 2015, including the recently unveiled vertical garden near the Harwell shopping precinct.
Under the grants program, local councils can apply for grants of up to $30,000 each to partner with community groups to tackle graffiti vandalism as well as make public spaces more inviting for residents.
The grants are part of Labor Government's Community Crime Prevention Program, which supports local communities to prevent crime and improve community safety.
As noted by Minister for Crime Prevention Ben Carroll
"Graffiti can negatively impact our streets and its removal can be quite costly for councils, local businesses and residents. Our support ensures communities are better placed to deal with it."
"Graffiti hot spots can turn the surrounding area into a no-go zone for locals, by removing the graffiti and creating murals, we're helping return these areas to the community."
As noted by Member for Hawthorn John Kennedy
"I congratulate the City of Boroondara and artists Mike Makatron and Conrad Bizjak for creating this fantastic mural, which significantly enhances the Auburn Village shopping precinct."
"It's great to see local communities taking pride in our public spaces and taking action to tackle graffiti hot spots."
