Family sprays paint sale

By Glen Atwell
A CRANBOURNE mother is demanding answers after she witnessed her 12-year-old son being sold a can of spray paint at a local shop on Saturday.
Dianah Harris caught her son Tylar in possession of an aerosol can last week, and asked to know where it came from.
Tylar told his mum one of his friends had purchased the spray paint.
To test the theory, Ms Harris drove her son to the store on Saturday morning, and waited outside while Tylar entered the store and attempted to purchase a can of spray paint.
Minutes later Tylar emerged with the can in hand. He said there were no questions asked and it cost just $3. He was even issued with receipt.
Ms Harris is disappointed her son had the paint in the first place but said the store’s disregard for the law was fuelling the problem.
“Tylar should never have had the spray paint – he knows what he did was wrong,” she said.
“But it is disgusting that a local store is supplying aerosol paint to kids as young as 12.”
A Casey local law, designed to prevent graffiti, requires traders who operate a business which sells aerosol spray paint to ensure it is not sold or supplied to people under 18 years old.
The penalty for breaching the local law is $500.
The State Government Graffiti Prevention Act, which came into effect last year, also outlaws the sale of aerosol paint containers to minors.
A breach of the act can result in a $200 on-the-spot penalty.
Ms Harris said the penalties reflected the danger of allowing children access to aerosol cans.
“Graffiti is not the only problem, what about the potential abuse of spray paint as a drug substance,” she said.
“The cans should be locked away and identification should be required to purchase it.”
Councillor and Residents Against Graffiti Everywhere (RAGE) spokesman Steve Beardon said physically restricting access to aerosol cans, through locked cabinets, would help quash a state-wide graffiti culture.
“Initiation into a graffiti crew often involved new members being forced to steal paint, so restricting access would be a stronger deterrent than restricting sales to people over 18,” he said.
“State legislation fines traders doing the wrong thing, but doesn’t restrict access to the cans. Spray paint will still be easily accessible and will still be used to graffiti.”
A representative of the shop could not be contacted for comment.
Ms Harris has made a report to Cranbourne police.