Esk Beerfest, Festivale, Launceston Council united against sexual assault

As three events expected to draw large crowds approach, including the T20 between the Hawthorn and North Melbourne Football Clubs, the organisers united to speak out as part of The Examiner’s Hands Off campaign.

Esk Beerfest event director James Harding said the festival was community focused and his message to patrons was to stop, sip and savour beers and ciders, plus enjoy quality not quantity.

“I honestly believe the days of beer being a man’s drink are gone, 50 per cent of our Beerfest team are female, we work with a lot of female brewers and most of the start-up breweries you see today are family-run businesses with wives, sisters or mothers having equal say and share in the business.”

Co-director Stacy File said the Esk Beerfest had security, first aid, event staff and police working together to ensure a safe and fun environment.

“If something was to happen during the event, we would take this very seriously and one of our female event directors and female security would take this person to first aid whilst we notify police,” she said.

City of Launceston general manager Robert Dobrzynski said there was a similar process if harassment or sexual assault occurred at the University of Tasmania Stadium.

“Security officers and Tasmania Police officers patrol and monitor these events and a dedicated mobile phone number is widely advertised throughout the venue, including on the big screen, as a fast and effective means of reporting anti-social or disturbing behaviour on the spot,” he said.

“Any reports to staff or security of criminal behaviour such as an alleged sexual assault would immediately be reported to police on site and extensive CCTV throughout the venue would be available to police to assist in any investigation.”

Festivale Committee chairman Lou Clark said it was “important that patrons know that they can approach Festivale Committee, staff or security if they have been assaulted or are being harassed, that they will be believed and that appropriate action will be taken."

Showcasing Tasmanian food and alcohol is part of what Festivale is all about - how do organisers ensure that the event is family friendly?

Festivale brings many benefits – a vibrant, liveable city and region, prosperous businesses and good times with friends, family and visitors to our city. The safety and well-being of patrons and people working at Festivale is of the utmost importance to the Festivale Committee. 

There are a number of factors that contribute to providing a safe, secure and family friendly Festivale. These include a strong and active security and police presence, crowd control, clean and hygienic facilities, good venue lighting and signage, diverse food stalls, entertainment for all ages including children’s activities and the amenity of City Park.  

While enjoying alcohol is an intrinsic part of Festivale, drinking harmfully does not have to be. It is important to be aware of the effects of alcohol and how to minimise the risks associated with drinking. 

What is the event organisers polices surrounding sexual assault and other anti-social behaviours?

Sexual assault is never okay. It is against the law. Festivale supports a zero tolerance policy to sexual assault and other anti-social behaviours. Festivale Committee, staff and security working at the event take any incident of sexual assault or anti-social behaviour seriously.

It is important that we have strategies to manage troublesome, aggressive, intoxicated or disorderly patrons. 

Festivale is committed to safe drinking practices. During Festivale, City Park is a licensed event site. We comply with the relevant legislation and our licence conditions which are appropriate to our event to ensure that our venue is a safe and pleasant destination and experience for all patrons to enjoy.

We and our stallholders have clear legal obligations to serve alcohol responsibly. All staff serving alcohol on site must be trained in RSA and must not serve anyone who is under the age of 18 years, or any person who appears to be intoxicated. We clearly inform patrons through written policies on our website and signage at the venue that we will not tolerate irresponsible drinking behaviour.

Undercover licensing police are in attendance throughout Festivale.

We work closely with Tasmania Police, Licensing, Tasmanian Fire Service and other emergency service providers; security and community services to provide the best and safest possible experience for every individual.

What would happen if someone came to organisers, saying they had been sexually assaulted? 

We recognise that women, and people of diverse gender and sexualities, are primarily the target of sexual harassment and assault by men. However, both can occur to any person, regardless of gender or sexuality.

We would encourage patrons and any person working at Festivale to report any incident to the Festivale Committee, Security or Tasmania Police.  It is important that patrons know that they can approach Festivale Committee, staff or security if they have been assaulted or are being harassed, that they will be believed and that appropriate action will be taken. 

What processes are in place to prevent this in crowded areas that involved alcohol?

To actively prevent instances of sexual harassment and assault at Festivale, we have adopted a zero tolerance policy for all forms of sexual harassment and assault, between patrons, staff, performing artists, security, volunteers or any other person engaged to work at, or visiting Festivale.

We are focussed on keeping people safe at our event. We have a strong security and police presence at the event but we would also encourage everyone to look out for each other.

Beer is often throught of as quite a "blokey" beverage - how does the Esk BeerFest change this view? 

I honestly believe the days of beer being a mans drink are gone, 50 per cent of our BeerFest team are female, we work with a lot of female brewers and most of the start up breweries you see today are a family run businessed with wives, sisters or mothers having equal say and share in the business.

You mentioned that you have more female ticket holders then male - what do you put this down to? 

Over the last seven years we have seen our female audience grow from 30 per cent to over 50 per cent, with 70 per cent of tickets purchased by females. Our festivals are sophisticated and community focused and our message to patrons is to stop, sip and savour your beers and ciders plus enjoy quality not quanitity.

What is the festival's view on sexual assault and other anti-social behaviours? 

We have a zero tolerance for any anti-social behavior that is not just limited to sexual assault. We are proud that all our festivals across WA, VIC and TAS have a great reputation amongst the public and patrons feel safe and have fun at our events.

What would happen if someone came to organisers saying they had been sexually assaulted? 

For the duration of all our events we have security, first aid, event staff and quite often police all working together to ensure a safe and fun environment, if something was to happen during the event, we would take this very seriously and one of our female event directors and female security would take this person to first aid whilst we notify police. 

What processes are in place to prevent this in crowded areas that involved alcohol? 

Security, event staff, event management and police are constantly monitoring and assessing peoples behavior throughout the festival. The majority of the event is during day light and of an evening is well lit. Each person who sells alcohol holds an RSA. The event has many food offerings and plenty of free water or non alcoholic options. This all enables us to prevent any major incidents from occurring.