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A new website with an industry toolkit is aiming to make live music venues in Western Australia safer and more inclusive, particularly for women and the LGBTQI+ community.

Supported by $60,000 in Western Australian Government funding, community organisation Safer Venues WA was started as a measure to address safety and harassment concerns after a 2017 survey found 67% of 550 respondents had previously been harassed in a Western Australian venue, with 80% of these people being women.

The new website provides practical information such as advice on signage and house policy development, door entry and bathroom safety procedures and security briefing scripts. There is also a downloadable harassment report form and after-care cards.

The website also provides research and education online and offers links to training providers.

Backed by the Western Australian Government's Contemporary Music Fund, Safer Venues WA workshopped contemporary music venues, audiences and artists and the development of online resources in a bid to improve inclusivity and safety at concerts and nightclubs.

Venues actively involved include Freo.Social, Mojo's, Connections, The Bird, The Rechabite, Blueroom Theatre, Picabar/Percy Flint, Astral Weeks and Indi Bar.

Commenting on the resource, Western Australian Culture and the Arts Minister, David Templeman “everyone should be able to enjoy local musicians and bands without being afraid of harassment or intimidation. I commend and applaud all the venues involved and the industry in general for its support and willingness to train staff.

"The Contemporary Music Fund is all about diversity, so it's fitting the CMF has funded the Safer Venues WA initiative promoting gender, sexuality and cultural inclusion."

Click here to visit Safer VenuesWA website.

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