The streaming company announced plans to film a series called “Byron Baes” in a press release on April 7, sparking backlash in the form of an online petition that collected more than 6,700 signatures Monday.
“It is a widely recognized truth that an influencer who has a good following must have a beach background,” Netflix said.
Byron Bay is “the perfect setting for our next Australian Netflix Original” that will follow “hot Instagrammers living their best lives,” the press release continued.
The planned “docu-soap” is called “Byron Baes.”
Netflix
But locals have drawn up a petition calling on local authorities to refuse to grant movie permits and revoke all permits already issued, citing the harmful effects of filming on the community and the environment.
“We are a community facing major challenges, driven by the culture of influencers and the rapidly changing demographics of residents,” the petition reads.
“We don’t want to be cast as the perfect backdrop and magnet for social media influencers. We don’t want to appear in ‘Byron Baes’.”
The petition calls on authorities to “address systemic issues related to housing affordability, coastal erosion, rising unemployment, traffic management challenges, low high school completion rates, and high levels of gender-based and domestic violence”.
The community is concerned about “the consequences of being showcased on a global stage in a way that can only harm our local environment and community.”
Ben Gordon, who owns the Byron Bay General Store, told CNN partner 7News that he turned down the opportunity for his company to appear on the series.
“They make up their own story, drama and gossip and the result will paint a completely misleading and damaging picture of what Byron is,” said Gordon.