GREENS candidate Sinead Francis-Coan has started an online petition calling for sexual harassment policy in Newcastle venues.
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"Anyone - particularly female - who has been out anywhere in the world knows what unwanted attention is like," Ms Francis-Coan said.
"What I'm asking venues to consider is just some simple stuff to start off with like having a policy on how you manage this kind of behaviour."
The Newcastle: Let's raise the bar petition calls on venues to develop a "sexual harassment and assault prevention and response policy" and to "ensure all staff including security are trained in this policy". Ms Francis-Coan, who ran as a candidate for Ward 3 in the recent council elections, said these issues are prevalent in Newcastle for all demographics.
"Particularly since lockdowns ended I've heard a number of people saying don't go to a specific venue or that they had left a venue due to being harassed," she said.
"It's not the staff's fault and it's not the venue's fault - but they do have the capacity to do something about this."
Ms Francis-Coan said she isn't "looking to reinvent the wheel" and that there are already simple, best practice steps venues can take.
"An important step is letting people know what they should do if they experience harassment," Ms Francis-Coan said.
"We've seen some campaigns out there where venues have a code word to use with staff if you are experiencing unwanted sexual attention."
The petition comes on the back of Ms Francis-Coan's push for Newcastle to adopt the Greens' 'Night Mayor' initiative. She said the positions would be a form of "community ambassador who looks to improve the quality of nightlife while reducing related issues".
"It's something that's been instigated in places like Amsterdam, London and Melbourne. It involves a lot of stakeholder engagement and tackling the thorny issues to find compromised solutions."
Ms Francis-Coan said Newcastle's "turbulent nightlife history" and inner-city development add to the role's necessity.
In relation to the initiative, AHA NSW Newcastle Hunter President, Michael Starkey, said his organisation is "open to supporting initiatives which are designed to keep all patrons safe".
"Education is one of the best tools we have when it comes to maintaining current, and implementing new, strategies which keep patrons safe while enjoying our night-time economy," Mr Starkey said.
"AHA NSW Newcastle Hunter is open to working collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders to ensure of local night-time economy is as safe, vibrant, and diverse as possible."
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