Community advocate Sinéad Francis- Coan has initiated a campaign calling on Newcastle venues to take a more pro-active role in preventing and responding to sexual violence.
The Raise the Bar campaign aims to improve the safety, experience and patronage of local bars and clubs, and has distributed a petition online asking venues to take responsibility and adopt policy that prioritises patron wellbeing.
Ms Francis- Coan, a post- graduate in leisure and tourism studies, said she was inspired to start the campaign after discussions with members of the public.
“It came to a head when a few days in a row, a few people warned me about particular venues in Newcastle and told me about their experience of being harassed.”
“There was another woman just on the light rail that I overheard talking about how much she’s been harassed at places…”
“It was a real wakeup call about how prevalent this stuff must be and I thought ‘nightlife is suffering enough as it is. We don’t need other reasons right now to stop people going to venues’”, Ms Francis- Coan said.
Currently, Francis- Coan’s petition has just under 200 signatures, and she plans to meet with the Newcastle branch of the Australian Hotels Association to discuss a more holistic approach to sexual violence prevention, and its relevancy to the Responsible Service of Alcohol.
“In my view I think we can manage a standard and consistent approach to things like RSA and why not include [sexual harassment prevention] in that…”
“The way the Newcastle entertainment precinct is set up is actually idea for that. It’s my understanding that for RSA currently, if someone is blacklisted for poor behaviour in a particular venue related to alcohol misuse, it is flagged across the circle of venues in Newcastle.”
“I would like if they could do the same for harassment.”
Ms Francis- Coan believes executing harassment prevention policy alongside RSA not only protects patrons, but is in the best interest of local venues as well.
She has also suggested venues adopt initiatives such as the use of code names with bar staff to indicate patrons may be in need of help, special coloured shirts to identify “friendly marshals”, or safe spaces for victims of harassment where “staff can keep an eye on them.”
The campaign also calls on venues to support staff in circumstances that may arise relating to patron harassment and assault.
“A lot of the staff are quite young and if someone comes up to you and tells something like this has happened, that’s a big thing. That’s what we’ve tried to include in this campaign – supporting the staff to know what to do because what do you do with that when it happens?”, she asked.
Other Raise the Bar initiatives include:
- Developing a venue specific sexual harassment/assault prevention and response policy
- Ensuring all staff including security are trained in this policy
- Use of signage and other methods to communicate to clientele what they should do if they experience or witness an incident
- Publicly committing to maintaining a harassment-free venue
- Keeping a log of sexual harassment incidents
- Engaging with appropriate organisations to establish best practice
“There’s lots of different things we can do”, Ms Francis- Coan said.
Supporters of the petition weighed in on social media, with one commenting that “those who [commit sexual assault] are often highly aware of the opportunities and weaknesses of venues, CCTV and victims. It’s about time venues smarten their safety act…”
Another added that “it’s important that venues are part of the solution not part of the problem.”
Ms Francis- Coan declared that “the message to venues is that whether you’re aware or not, people might be warning others to avoid your place if you’re not on top of all this stuff,” said
“It’s a real opportunity to show some leadership. I think people have had a lot of time to think and they’re keen for a good night out and if the first night out you’ve had in a while is a bad one that’s going to have a real impact on if you go out again… so the experience people have is more important than ever.”
Francis- Coan has also encouraged encourage the public to reach out to venues and The Australian Hotels Association should they feel unsafe while out.
“If you have a place in particular that you like to go but you don’t feel comfortable, write to them and let them know….
Francis- Coan has encouraged people to get in touch via the Facebook page should they have concerns about local venues, and has asked residents to share and sign the petition.
Venues and patrons on high alert after recent inner- city spiking’s
The Raise the Bar campaign comes just after licensed venues across Newcastle became subject of investigations by NSW Police, after there were several reports of needle spiking’s in the Newcastle area in December.
Sienna Davis, whose social media post revealed her friend’s spiking ordeal at King Street Hotel last month went viral after being shared thousands of times.
At least six other young women have reported to have been injected by substances when out locally, with instances occurring at venues like the Kent Hotel in Hamilton and the racecourse at Broadmeadow.
King Street Hotel has reportedly hired extra security following the incident at their venue, as well as a dedicated welfare officer patrons can approach if they feel their safety is being threatened.
Greens introduce Night Mayor initiative in push to “revitalise” Newcastle nightlife
Francis Coan’s campaign came after the Newcastle Greens party announced an initiative titled “Night Mayor”, that seeks to establish a permanent community ambassador to represent and improve the city’s night-time economy and culture.
In a statement released in November, the Greens said the representative would be supported by Council and would work “in collaboration with residents, club owners and the arts community, to set guidelines, support new ventures, and negotiate conflicts between residents and venues.”
Ms Francis-Coan claimed that the last two years has been a challenge for the nightlife economy, and “now is absolutely the time to bolster nightlife in Newcastle and especially support the many young people and artists who depend on it.”
Fellow Greens councillor John Mackenzie cited the effectiveness of Night Mayors around the world, including cities such as Melbourne, London, and Amsterdam.
“The success of this approach shows that you can have a safe and vibrant night-time culture that would revitalise public space and enhance our proud reputation as a leading-edge creative city.”
Ms Francis Coan added that “it is because of our turbulent historical relationship with nightlife in Newcastle that a role like Night Mayor is necessary. But we are not the first city to grapple with the issues of safety, noise and residential amenity at night.”
In November 2018, Newcastle City Council adopted a “Newcastle After Dark Strategy”, and a motion by Cr Mackenzie led to a commitment to ‘investigate the implementation of a ‘Night Mayor’ in the strategy.
The Greens however have said there has been no progress on its implementation since.
Ms Francis-Coan noted the potential benefits of a Night Mayor spanning across the whole of Newcastle.
While the Newcastle After Dark Strategy identifies seven different nightlife precincts in the inner city, Francis- Coan wants to see emerging nightlife such as Lambton, Kotara and Wallsend included in the strategy.
If you’re seeking help in a crisis related to sexual harassment or assault, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about sexual harassment or assault contact Newcastle Sexual Assault Service (Lower Hunter) on (02) 4924 6333 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
Maia O’Connor