Protest damage at Anthony Albanese’s Grayndler electorate office leaves $1k clean-up bill

A year of protests outside the prime minister’s electorate office in Marrickville have tested the patience of the building’s landlord and members of a neighbouring church.

A year of protests outside Anthony Albanese’s electoral office in Marrickville are testing the patience of the building’s landlord and members of a neighbouring church.

Rosario Ciano, chairman of the St Clements Anglican Church Marrickville, said his congregation had experienced a full year of various protests staged at the prime minister’s Grayndler electorate office, located next to the church on Marrickville Rd.

The church – which owns the electorate office and leases it out – said the action had included incidents of trespassing and graffiti being scrawled on the building.

Pro-Palestine protests also “blockaded” the office earlier this year, forcing the building to close due to safety and security concerns for staff.

Department of Finance figures reveal vandalism to the building has left the government having to fork out $1000 in clean-up costs this year.

A photo taken of protest action at the office this year.

Mr Ciano said while he supported the democratic right to protest, there had been concerning instances of vandalism and trespassing.

He said damage caused to the church-owned building included people “breaking into the electorate office to graffiti the whole joint” earlier this year.

Graffiti has had to be removed from the church-owned building.

“We’ve also had a lot of paraphernalia put on the building, things up trees and posters left on council property,” he said.

“It’s messy and a lot has been put on public land which is the responsibility of Inner West Council to clean up.

“We support the right of protest. People have a right to protest, but it should be done in a peaceful and respectful way.”

Photos taken at the electoral office this year show graffiti on the building has included the spraying of symbols used by Hamas’ military wing to illustrate Israeli targets at which it intends to fire.

Protest action has been staged at the site this year.

The repair cost to the building made up a portion of the $115,000 clean-up bill the federal government has had to fork out this year due to damage caused by pro-Palestine activists targeting Labor MPs’ offices.

That figure included a $1470 repair bill for the office of Energy Minister Chris Bowen in Fairfield.

In a statement, Mr Albanese said “in a democracy like Australia’s, people have the right to protest”.

“But people don’t have the right to stop others, often vulnerable people, from accessing support on migration, NDIS and Centrelink matters, services electorate officers provide,” he said.

“Instances of significant damage to Commonwealth property are extremely rare, but costs of rectification are covered by the Commonwealth, as is the case with all electoral offices.

Nearby business owners on Marrickville Rd have expressed mixed thoughts about the presence of protesters, with some business owners reporting disruptions including protesters blocking footpaths.

Jamie Goodin, the owner of Goodwood Bakeshop in Marrickville. said most protests were respectful.

“It’s part of being Australian,” he said.

“As long as it’s not unnecessarily disrupting the community, they have a right to be there and I understand where they’re coming from.”

In the past year, protesters have also held demonstrations outside the office in relation to issues that have included coal mining, climate change and the plight of Julian Assange.