Council

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What about when the street art is illegally on government-funded and owned property? While the work is the intellectual property of the artist, the government owns the bridge itself and can alter its appearance afterwards to cover up the tags. They buff over murals and tags when they have a negative perception of the graffiti. According to a report by the Australian Government in the Australian Institute of Criminology, “[Graffiti] is regarded by many sectors of the community to be unsightly and represents a threat to quality of life and community safety.” As public servants, the council believes it is their responsibility to eliminate illegal works and prosecute artists producing them. This is especially true when the works are not “pretty,” such as the tags made by Nost and the other artist on the bridge. They would be considered graffiti that deface public property rather than street art “worthy” of a tour stop on a guided tour of Melbourne.

Source:
http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/rip/1-10/06.html