Pam the Bird

In September 2022, 18-year-old Jack Gibson-Burrell was arrested on the Gold Coast, Queensland, after he spray painted a rail worker in the face at Park Road railway station. The man had caught Gibson-Burrell spray painting a large bird at Park Road railway station. Gibson-Burrell was charged with 24 offences and placed on two-year probation.^[1] When queried by reporters outside court, he squawked like a bird.^[2] Journalists retroactively described Gibson-Burrell's tag as an instance of "Pam the Bird".^[2][3]

Reports of Pam the Bird in Melbourne date back to at least 2023.^[a] That year, the graffiti tag became well-known as a common sight not just along train lines and tram routes, but also on the trains themselves.^[2][5] It also appeared in other prominent locations, such as on the back of road signs along the West Gate Freeway. The Herald Sun reported that social media pages had emerged following Pam the Bird. Some videos depicted graffiti vandals performing dangerous stunts to spray paint the bird, including by hanging off a bridge.^[2] The Instagram account @goodbirdart, which was created in 2024 and ostensibly run by a third party, regularly posted behind-the-scenes Pam the Bird content,^[3] having amassed over 80,000 followers by the time of its deletion in mid-2025.^[6]

In the later months of 2024, Pam the Bird's range expanded out of Melbourne's west.^[7] It received media attention following an incident on 10 July 2024 in which a clock tower at Flinders Street railway station near Elizabeth Street was spray painted with graffiti.^[8][9] Several other high-profile graffiti incidents attributed to Pam the Bird attracted news attention, including on the Novotel hotel in the inner Melbourne suburb of South Wharf on 20 January 2025, the Cheese Stick sculpture over the CityLink tollway, the offices of the Nine Network in Docklands, the Uncle Tobys silo in West Footscray, the Clifton Hill Shot Tower, Comeng and HCMT train carriages operated on the Melbourne suburban rail network.^[9][10][11] Police stated that Pam the Bird made heavy use of abseiling to conduct graffiti activities.^[12]

In the early morning of 7 July 2026, a vandal called Jack Gibson-Burrell climbed up the eastern tower of the Bolte Bridge, abseiled down and graffitied a giant Pam the Bird and the words "Fuck you!" He then posted footage from the top of the tower on Instagram under the handle "@pambirdofficial", demanding both "lower taxes" and a "peanut butter and jam sandwich and a glass of milk"^[13] before he would come down. There is also footage of him abseiling partway down the 140-metre tower just to taunt police officers at the bottom before returning back to the top. ^[14] He refused to come down for a period of nearly nine hours before eventually surrendering to police peacefully.^[15][16]

Pam the Bird is a graffiti tag consisting of a side view of a cartoon bird. In court, Victoria Police Senior Constable Scott Nicholls said, "We typically see this bird graffiti has a sharp triangle pointed beak with a line that separates the upper and lower portion of the beak that approximately extends three quarters away from the tip". Pam the Bird varies widely: it may be coloured, embellished, or a simple outline. It is often accompanied by text, including "MP.", which The Age described as the name of a graffiti crew, and 'Srock', a similarly prolific name tag.^[7][3][17]

In January 2024, Victoria Police began an investigation into Pam the Bird, led by Senior Constable Scott Nicholls.^[10][7] A year later, on 30 January 2025, police arrested Jack Gibson-Burrell, a 21-year-old Yarraville resident whom they allege is Pam the Bird's sole creator. Matthew Raoul White, a 39-year-old alleged accomplice, was also arrested, with police alleging he is behind the 'Srock' tag often seen alongside Pam the Bird.^[10][17] The year-long investigation found evidence that people had been making suspicious visits to Gibson-Burrell's home over a period of months. CCTV footage of the Novotel break-in added to police suspicions regarding Gibson-Burrell as the sole graffiti tagger.^[6]

Gibson-Burrell was charged with 50 offences, including criminal damage and shop theft, and a subsequent charge of intentionally causing injury was added following allegations Gibson-Burrell stabbed a man using a kitchen knife in 2024.^[18][6] Police also sought government assistance with organising a Federal Bureau of Investigation search warrant of Instagram with the goal of identifying Gibson-Burrell as the owner of @goodbirdart.^[6] White, the owner of the graffiti paint shop Bodega, located in the suburb of Abbotsford, was charged with a total of 17 offences, including criminal damage.^[19] Furthermore, White also had an extensive criminal record for incidents regarding criminal damage and trespass, which was described as an 'international' graffiti spree where several train carriages in San Francisco, New York and Perth were tagged.^[20]

On 25 February 2025, Gibson-Burrell attended Melbourne Magistrates' Court with the goal of being released on bail, having previously been on bail in 2023.^[21] His bail application was approved on 27 February 2025, with conditions including a requirement to live with his grandmother in East Geelong, abiding by a night-time curfew, not being in possession of equipment related to graffiti or abseiling, and an A$30,000 surety paid by friend Finlay Dale.^[21]

The Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne, Nicholas Reece, has condemned Pam the Bird, remarking he "ain't no Banksy" and sending a warning to all potential taggers that they will be held responsible for their work.^[22][23]

Much of the public's response to Pam has been positive, with the @goodbirdart Instagram account gaining upwards of 79,000 followers. One popular Melbourne commentator said, "Despite the efforts of the Melbourne City Council, the police, the courts ... Pam the Bird’s popularity continues to soar".^[22]

In the month following Gibson-Burrell's arrest, an online petition calling for preserving "Pam's Iconic Bird Art" gained over 1,000 signatures.