Australia’s Temporary Working Group offers update on cultural change amid #MeToo

Representatives from the Australian music industry have updated the wider industry on the effort for create cultural change amid the #MeToo movement.

The Temporary Working Group consists of:

• Deena Lynch, a.k.a. Jaguar Jones
• Emily Collins, MusicNSW
• Julia Robinson, Australian Festivals Association Inc
• Larissa Ryan, Hutch Collective
• Sarah Woolcott, BMG
• Sophie Paterson, Sony Music Australia
• Mardi Caught, The Annex

You can read the full communication from the Temporary Working Group below:

We hope you are doing OK during these, particularly challenging times. 

The temporary working group have been busy working (from home) to progress all actions we committed to in engaging a consultant/s to develop a national consultancy strategy that will enable voices from across the industry to be heard and contribute to, Cultural Change in the Australian music landscape. 

We wanted to provide an overview of what we’ve been working on in the background, and progress made, in the time since our last update:

• In July, we invited Expressions of Interest from consultants and experts across the country who were interested in leading a national consultation on sexual harm, harassment, and systemic discrimination in Australian music. 

• We received 30+ Expressions of Interest from a range of individuals and organisations and we were thrilled with the calibre, diversity, and experience of professionals in this space and the level of interest in contributing to this work. 

• The temporary working group, in consultation with Support Act, ARIA, APRA AMCOS, and the Australia Council, selected three consultants/consultancy firms from the 30+ Expressions of Interest, to progress to the tender phase.

• We are currently working with these three organisations as they finalise their tenders for submission, and will be making a selection of the successful organisation in the coming weeks. 

Once the successful consultant/s has been agreed and engaged, we will work with them to prepare an outline of their process and next steps to share with you and the wider industry. 

We expect (and hope you will appreciate) it may take some time for the consultant/s to plan the national consultation roll out, and for us to secure funding to deliver the work before the consultation begins. 

The work of the consultant will be developing a framework that is inclusive, representative, and specifically addresses groups or individuals that might experience barriers to participation. It is vital to the process that all voices are heard and given the opportunity to contribute at this stage, in an effort to drive the most impactful outcome. 

Your interest, participation, commitment, and support is integral to this work, and we’re excited to be able to provide further updates and opportunities to be involved very soon. 

Stay safe. 

Sincerely 

The temporary working group

The temporary working group is a group of volunteers. We meet weekly and have a Charter, which continues to guide our work. You can find the Charter here. 

If you or someone you know needs support, there is help available:

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.