Sally Capp outlines plan to crack down on graffiti taggers in the city

Sally Capp says graffiti taggers are spoiling Melburnians’ sense of pride in the city as she reveals a plan to crack down on “vandals and criminals”.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp is personally upset by the amount of graffiti around town. Picture: Mark Stewart

Lord Mayor Sally Capp has revealed that cleaning up the city will be one of her top priorities as she slammed graffiti taggers as “vandals and criminals”.

Ms Capp said she was personally upset by the amount of graffiti around town.

“I see it as incredibly anti-social. I feel that our pride in the city is really impacted by taggers,” she said.

“It’s more noticeable when we don’t have streams of people filling the streets, you’re more likely to notice details, or it stands out more I guess,” she said.

Graffiti in Exhibition Street. Picture: Mark Stewart

A tag in Little Bourke Street. Picture: Mark Stewart

Some of the graffiti in Cohen Place, off Little Bourke Street. Picture: Mark Stewart

A building in Little Bourke Street covered in graffiti. Picture: Mark Stewart

“Nonetheless, it’s a core responsibility of ours, and we need to be addressing it, and we’re certainly putting more resources into it.”

In a wide-ranging interview to set out her post-pandemic vision, the Lord Mayor told the Sunday Herald Sun that 2022 was the year to get things done after the devastation of lockdowns.

“It’s time to show the rest of Australia, and hopefully the world what an absolute powerhouse that Melbourne is,” she said.

“We’ve had the unenviable title of being the city with the most days in lockdown, and we want to now be the city with the strongest and swiftest bounce back.”

Ms Capp said the Australian Open’s “Barty party” euphoria had lifted the city by showing Melbourne could still stage major events with lots of people.

“There’s a necessity for us to keep going with city revitalisation initiatives, it’s pretty grim still in the city for small traders, that’s the truth of it,” she said.

Sally Capp says she wants Melbourne to have the ‘strongest and swiftest bounce back’. Picture: Mark Stewart

This week, the City of Melbourne released a report on the impact of Omicron on the inner city, revealing alarming data about the plunge in retail and recreation activity.

Another round of the popular Melbourne Money discount scheme is on the cards, while the council will seek more direct financial support for businesses from the state government.

Amid some criticism that she and the council should have stood up more to the Andrews Government over long lockdowns, Ms Capp would have none of it.

“I’ve been, and the City of Melbourne has been, the most strident advocate and champion for what’s in the best interest of the city,” she said.

“I’m not somebody that wants to get involved in politics at other levels of government, I’m somebody that wants to be a very effective leader for the City of Melbourne where my focus is.”

Asked if she wanted to run for a third term at the 2024 council election, the Lord Mayor said

she was currently parking any personal ambitions while the city underwent recovery.

“I am so busy at the moment delivering on all of these priorities, projects, programs, that it won’t even be a consideration until we feel really confident that we’ve got the right trajectory,” she said.

Among her project priorities is the $250m Greenline plan, which would see the north bank of the Yarra River transformed with green spaces and other infrastructure.

The project will need significant support from state and federal governments, and Ms Capp said talks so far showed “there’s been a recognition of the value of city shaping projects like Greenline”.

The Lord Mayor said the council would push ahead with its 2030 transport strategy that wants more people walking, cycling and using public transport, and fewer driving cars.

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