A collective of Australian festivals, musicians, venues, promoters and record labels have launched a new campaign called ‘Your Choice’, in an attempt to address the growing cultural issues around behavior and lack of personal accountability within Australian venues and event spaces with the aim of helping everyone have a fun and safe time at gigs.
Supported by the likes of 123 Agency, Laneway Festival, Groovin the Moo, Splendour In the Grass, Falls Festival and UNIFY Gathering — as well as artists like Birds of Tokyo, Boy & Bear, The Amity Affliction, Amy Shark and Bernard Fanning — ‘Your Choice’ is seeking to raise awareness of ongoing safety issues, as well as everyone’s personal responsibilities at live events.
The goal of Your Choice is to help influence a culture of positive behaviour through shared responsibility – together as industry organisers and patrons attending.
Australia’s festival circuit has seen a number of distressing incidents take place in the last few years, including alleged sexual assaults at UNIFY Gathering and Rainbow Serpent Festival, as well as a horrific stampede and multiple alleged sexual assaults at Falls Festival.
In a statement, Laneway Festival’s Danny Rogers says:
“Laneway Festival supports and encourages any positive initiatives that opens up a conversation that encourages awareness, education and a creation of safe spaces for artists to perform for their fans. Respect for everyone is a mandate of the Laneway team and we believe that Your Choice is a positive message that reflects our core values.”
‘Your Choice’ is calling on all music fans and industry representatives to adopt a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bad behaviour at shows, and has even developed a series of ‘Your Choice House Rules’, which you can view below.
The goal of ‘Your Choice’ is to help influence a culture of positive behaviour through shared responsibility — together as industry organisers and patrons attending.
The ‘Your Choice’ campaign builds on work already completed by the likes of Victoria’s Sexual Assault Task Force and Camp Cope’s ‘It Takes One’ campaign.
They’ve got hundreds of industry people on board with Your Choice to date, and would love many more, head to the Your Choice website for further details on how you can be involved.
Your Choice ‘House Rules’ (Supplied)
