Improved training to ensure the music industry is safer for all

In partnership with Support Act, Music Victoria have refined and improved the Access All Areas program allowing tailored bystander intervention training that will roll out nationally for free to the Australian music industry.

Initiated by cohealth in 2018, the original program aimed to advance awareness, amplify voices and increase opportunities for equity, diversity and safety across music industry.

The new and improved Access All Areas program is aligned to the findings highlighted in the recent Raising Their Voices report into sexual harm, sexual harassment, bullying and systemic discrimination in the Australian music industry.

Commissioned by the Australian contemporary music industry, Raising Their Voices was based on the experiences of 1,600 music industry workers. Some insights from the report revealed:

• 55% experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment and sexual harm in their career.
• 33% experienced at least one incident of sexual harassment in the past 5 years.
• 76% experienced bullying at some point in their career in the industry.
• In the past 5 years, 81% of women were bullied, compared with 67% of men.

Music Victoria CEO, Simone Schinkel, explained that Access All Areas is a critical program, “Through our partnership with Support Act, we have ensured that our work with cohealth is now available for everyone in the industry – it will play a huge role in supporting and changing the Australian music sector for the better.”

Support Act CEO, Clive Miller, said the music industry needs to urgently address some complex and complicated issues, “Our program will support people to take action that will create cultural change to make our sector more equitable and inclusive. It will highlight how to intervene to help prevent situations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and bullying.”

The free monthly Access All Areas online program is available on:

• Tuesday, 4 October 2022
• Tuesday, 1 November 2022
• Tuesday, 13 December 2022

More information is available at musicvictoria.com.au and supportact.org.au
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Music Victoria

Contemporary Music Victoria Inc. (Music Victoria) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation and the state peak body for contemporary music. We represent musicians, venues, music businesses and professionals, and music lovers across the contemporary Victorian music community. Music Victoria provides advocacy on behalf of the music sector, actively supports the development of the Victorian music community, and celebrates and promotes Victorian music.

Support Act

Support Act is the music industry’s charity, delivering crisis relief services to musicians, managers, crew and music workers across all genres who are unable to work due to ill health, injury, a mental health problem or some other crisis

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Header image by Josh Brnjac