The NSW Government is waging war on graffiti, and is supporting communities who have had enough of the senseless and mindless work of graffiti vandals, said the Minister for the North Coast and Member for Ballina, Don Page.

The Liberal and Nationals Government is hoping new laws targeting graffiti vandals will be passed by the NSW Parliament.

"I have noticed several incidences of graffiti vandalism while driving around the North Coast this week and not only is it unsightly, but it is a slap in the face to local communities," Mr Page said.

"I saw graffiti on the new Alstonville Bypass today and I know there have been some problems at Lennox Head and a community hall near Lismore," he said.

"These are the ones I know about and there will be dozens more public and private buildings and infrastructure up and down the coast that have been tagged.

"Not only is graffiti ugly and offensive, cleaning it up comes at a cost to communities who either have to clean it up themselves, or rely on the local council to do it.

"The NSW State Government is committed to reducing the incidence of graffiti by strengthening penalties for offenders," Mr Page said.

The Graffiti Amendment Bill 2011, currently in the Leglislative Assembly, will strengthen the capacity of the courts to sentence graffiti offenders to undertake graffiti clean-up work.  It also expands the penalties for graffiti vandalism to include possible driver's licence sanctions.

"If this Bill is passed in its current form, when a graffiti offender is found guilty of an offence and has been sentenced to a community service order, the court must impose a condition for the offender to perform graffiti clean-up work," Mr Page said.

"Sanctions will also be able to be applied to people's driver's licences.  For example a person who holds a Learners or Provisional licence can have those extended for up to six months before they can progress to another licence, or licences (Provisional or Open) can be suspended for up to six months," he said.

"Communities are sick and tired of looking at the work of graffiti vandals and hopefully harsher penalties, which view graffiti as a serious offence, will see a reduction in this type of crime," Mr Page said.

In 2010 a report called Graffiti and Public Infrastructure was tabled in the NSW Parliament.  It said there were 11,691 graffiti incidents reported to NSW Police in 2009, with the cost of graffiti to this state in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

"I am sick and tired of seeing community buildings and infrastructure defaced by mindless graffiti vandals and the sooner we can introduce harsher penalties to punish and deter offenders the better," Mr Page said.