Music workers and revellers say sexual violence is being normalised in Melbourne’s clubs and venues, a Monash University study finds.
The report Examining Sexual Violence in the Music City of Greater Melbourne reveals groping and general harassment is common place in venues across the renowned music city of Greater Melbourne.
The report made five recommendations, including: more effective bystander training for security staff; improved policies to address sexual violence; gender and cultural diversity in music leadership; and more phone counselling.
“The report highlights the lack of awareness among music workers and audiences about the existing services and spaces designed to support them, and those willing to speak out came from a position of privilege, rather than marginalisation,” lead researcher Dr Andrea Jean Baker said.
Some of these reforms have already been actioned, but there was a lack of awareness of the existing services, such as phone counselling.
“It is the first time a world music city has measured the problem and looked for fresh solutions in a post-pandemic world,” Dr Baker said.
“Sexual violence is rife in our music city. It disempowers music workers, deters others from working in it, and audiences to participate in our vibrant music scenes.”
Music workers are classed as musicians, music writers, venue bookers and managers, security staff, government workers, policy advisers, non-government organisation workers, music activists and others
The report calls for music festivals, record labels and radio stations to be excluded from government grants and funds, if they do not meet gender diversity, inclusion and equity criteria.
It highlights the existing Victorian Government and City of Melbourne strategies and initiatives to address sexual violence, from Project Night Justice, which aims to improve safety around venues, to policy and law reform, such as the affirmative consent model.
In contrast to the music industry report, Raising Our Voices in 2022, this study focuses on music workers and revellers, in a wide range of urban music spaces, from production, participation, education and the media.
Eighty per cent of the 126 respondents never reported the incidences of sexual violence, with the most occuring prior to the pandemic, while 70 per cent of the incidences were at venues that played rock music.
“I would like to call it out now… Some people don’t even realise they were sexually violent. And in my experience it’s mostly from other musicians,” one respondent said.
Sixty per cent of the respondents in the Monash study – mostly, cisgender, white women aged 25 to 44 – didn’t feel safe in Melbourne’s music spaces, namely in the CBD, St Kilda, Collingwood, Brunswick or Flemington.
