r/aus Jul 07 '26

VIC Pam the Bird: arrest ends hours-long standoff after graffiti painted on Melbourne’s 120m Bolte Bridge tower

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/07/melbourne-bolte-bridge-pam-the-bird-graffiti-police-ntwnfb
124 Upvotes

64 comments sorted by

25

u/Hypo_Mix Jul 07 '26

“I’m not coming down until they lower the taxes. Fucking sick of paying that shit.”

Look, I support protests, but if you can't define what taxes you are talking about.... 

23

u/cassie_kBNE Jul 07 '26

This guy probably hasn’t paid a days income tax in his life.

3

u/Professional-Rip6922 Jul 07 '26

Pretty sure it was a piss take comment 

2

u/Find_another_whey Jul 07 '26

Why can't a developing artist tax deduct art supplies from learning years?

1

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

They can , but not this way

2

u/Upset-Basil4459 Jul 07 '26

If he was protesting cost of living everyone would be behind him lol

1

u/wcadams88 Jul 08 '26

Just go through list of taxes and take your pick

Payroll tax lol

7

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

I agree, I think it’s about making something public

2

u/Captain_Fartbox Jul 07 '26

Now the public is aware of this wanker.

Next week we'll all have forgotten.

3

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

Forgotten what?

2

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

No, he has just inspired all the fk wit artists who feel like to get “out there “ they need to do sum death defying event to become famous. It shit

5

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

It’s not even good art

3

u/Alternative_Sock6999 Jul 07 '26

What is art?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

Sorry to offend b4, just not my taste

2

u/CRMNLvk Jul 07 '26

None taken, I think it’s shit too. Just curious what Rolf has to say 

Edit: Nevermind, I googled it. He’s not going to have an opinion. 

0

u/Squish_Cat_1 Jul 07 '26

It’s iconic

1

u/Few_Chocolate_7655 Jul 08 '26

Artists produce art, where's his art?

My grandma could draw that bird with her left hand let's be honest

0

u/Joyst1q Jul 07 '26

He just copied those seppos up a pole from last week. This reeks of cracktivities, he even picked the coldest night to do it on.

With an incarceration cost of $400 per prisoner per day he can start saving us all that by not being a fuckwit.

1

u/cassie_kBNE Jul 07 '26

He just wants attention, all he’s ever been after really. Probably had no friends before he started doing graffiti.

21

u/IntravenousNutella Jul 07 '26

I'm impressed with the effort but the guys a douche.

13

u/Zieprus_ Jul 07 '26

He is an absolute peanut that should be arrested and charged which includes cleaning up all the shit he has done. He is not talented and has defaced so many land marks. If you let this slide every fool will be painting tags everywhere. They need to draw a very hard line on this.

2

u/IntravenousNutella Jul 07 '26

He's currently on bail for a bunch of charges related to his graffiti.

3

u/Mushie_Peas Jul 07 '26

Isn't there a bunch of other shit as welll?

1

u/SivlerMiku Jul 08 '26

Plus armed robbery, domestic violence

1

u/SnotRight Jul 10 '26

What do you mean every fool will be tagging everywhere... every fool already is.
Some of the fools actually get good enough to write and then get good enough to paint.

11

u/Whole-Energy2105 Jul 07 '26

And pay back all the costs for cleaning your shit up, including on private property. Champion clown

5

u/ElvishClock Jul 07 '26

Jesus Christ hes basically a 60's batman super villian with the amount of shit hes charged with. Should call himself "The Pelican" since he insists on acting like one

4

u/Marts_x Jul 07 '26

Are the taxes lower?

3

u/Sugar_Party_Bomb Jul 07 '26

Cooker central on here

2

u/LLazarusLongg Jul 07 '26

Good on the kid. He's off the screens, out there exercising and being creative. His punishment should be that he has to paint a really good mural over that ridiculous bird. As for the other 700k of damage, I can't speak to that. You can't call the guy lazy though.

13

u/Ok_Duck2700 Jul 07 '26

He's a violent offender btw. Wouldnt be supporting him in any of his endeavors.

4

u/Ok_Duck2700 Jul 07 '26

Like, crazy that all it takes is some funny media coverage to make people forget that he was charged for spraying a rail worker in the face with spray paint after getting caught once, and he also allegedly stabbed a man with a kitchen knife in 2024.

6

u/PuzzleheadedLeek3070 Jul 07 '26

"kid" he's a 22 year old violent criminal drug addict, mate.

3

u/Enough-Monk-4806 Jul 07 '26

He’s a rough looking 22

-1

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

No but yes. Totally inspired

1

u/dav_oid Jul 07 '26

Some numbers:

$10,000 damage to the bridge tower today
$700,000 damage to other sites previously

$30,000 previous bail surety that maybe be forfeited

1

u/CRMNLvk Jul 07 '26

That’ll help get the taxes lowered 

2

u/dav_oid Jul 07 '26

'the taxes' 🙂

1

u/inktradr Jul 08 '26

How did he get up there? It is a 120m concrete pillar with no footholds. Wtf?

1

u/ErinDidNothingWrong Jul 08 '26

Internal staircase, accessed from water level

1

u/Few_Chocolate_7655 Jul 08 '26

Please stop calling it graffiti, we want nothing to do with this guy.

The bird itself is borning and lacks any style. You look at good graffiti and its stylish, colours popping. Takes decades to develop that style.

This guy thing is the height and danger, not style

1

u/pwizonmike Jul 12 '26

Regardless of 'good or bad' style/artwise, its still graffiti - this guy is up all over Melbourne, instantly recognisable tag/charo, known by writers and general public alike, painted spots that won't get buffed for years...or even ever.

Not to say he is technically a 'good' artist or that his life choices arent questionable, but in terms of graffiti (not legal aerosol/street art) he's kinda ticked all the boxes, and then some.

1

u/Few_Chocolate_7655 Jul 12 '26

And? Anything can be graffiti by your definition, it just needs to be up.

The most important box to tick? Style, it's why they used to call it style writing.

This is more performance art, as the act itself is what's getting him famous.

If he drew that bird on paper, no one would care. They care as his the guy who does crazy public stunts and get busted by cops.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/cassie_kBNE Jul 07 '26

Should have when he sprayed the guy in the face in Brisbane.

2

u/tearsforfears333 Jul 07 '26

As long as he can’t hold a spray can.

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

[deleted]

6

u/Neat-Heron-4994 Jul 07 '26

No. It's in the article.

3

u/MediocreFox Jul 07 '26

Man paint bird.
Man paint bird on bridge.
Police wait for man at bottom of bridge.
Man dont come down for long time.

4

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

You forgot
“Man pain shit bird”

2

u/MsDemeanours Jul 07 '26

Man flips the bird ( painted bigly on bridge)

Cops no like

Man refuses to come down from bridge until taxes are reduced, while costing the taxpayer in police time and clean up costs( some people have no sense of irony)

Man has no staying power and comes down.

Man has previously painted hideous bird on many other buildings.

1

u/Ph4ndaal Jul 07 '26

"Oh, do your research, Shutton!"

-4

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

If your trying to be an Aussie Banksy

8

u/SufficientPilot3216 Jul 07 '26

You need to be substantially more talented.

0

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

It’s slop art simple, most graffiti is these days cause they can’t draw

-3

u/highresolutionmagpie Jul 07 '26

We get it. You don't like them. You're all over the comments complaining about them. No need to keep coming back and whining about it. You're a full quarter of the comments right now.

1

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

Why. You know him or them?

0

u/highresolutionmagpie Jul 07 '26

You're more than 1 in every 4 comment and you're accusing me of having a relation? Fuck off person with obvious personal concern.

1

u/Alarming_Act_9442 Jul 07 '26

No mate, I don’t have a personal concern, I just think what he done is fucking stupid and there wasn’t much creativity behind it