‘One hour’ removal
"I cannot articulate strongly enough how totally and utterly unacceptable this is, especially in a city like Melbourne," says incoming lord mayor Nicholas Reece.
Offensive posters and graffiti in the city of Melbourne are to be removed within one hour of notification.
The new policy was announced by incoming lord mayor Nicholas Reece, who is currently deputy lord mayor.
He and City of Melbourne councillors Roshena Campbell and Kevin Louey visited East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation recently to help find solutions to ensure the CBD is a welcoming place for all, including Jews.
Reece said, “Since 7 October there has been a rise in racist graffiti and materials across Melbourne, including much of it with antisemitic content.
“I cannot articulate strongly enough how totally and utterly unacceptable this is, especially in a city like Melbourne.
“Our approach is ‘whatever it takes’. Vile, racist content will never be tolerated in Melbourne.”
Reece said under new city cleaning arrangements there is now a one hour response time for the removal of offensive graffiti and materials around the city.
The City of Melbourne is spending $100 million on cleaning and security measures during this term, more than double the amount of the previous term.
All the visiting councillors reflected on the recent Gaza ceasefire motion that was put before Melbourne City Council, noting that for all of them it was an extremely challenging time.
Reece thanked the many Jewish people who contacted councillors ahead of the vote to highlight the impact of the proposed motion on them and the broader community.
He said that these letters and emails made a significant impact on councillors’ decision making.
JCCV CEO Naomi Levin said, “The JCCV appreciates the ongoing support we have received from deputy lord mayor Reece and councillors Campbell and Louey, as well as other councillors in the City of Melbourne.
“There are a number of initiatives that we will continue to work on with the City of Melbourne because our number one priority is ensuring that Jewish people feel safe and comfortable to go to the city.”
If you see graffiti: Call the City of Melbourne (03) 9658 9658 or visit melbourne.vic.gov.au/residents/home-neighbourhood/graffiti/Pages/graffiti.aspx
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