The streaming company announced plans to film a series called ‘Byron Baes’ in a press release on April 7, which sparked opposition in the form of an online petition that received more than 6,700 signatures on Monday.
“It’s a truth that is widely acknowledged that an influencer in possession of a good follower 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
However, the locals have drawn up a petition to refuse local authorities to grant permits for filming and to revoke the permits already granted, citing the detrimental impact of filming on the community and the environment.
“We are a community experiencing significant challenges driven by influencing culture and rapidly changing demographics of residents,” the petition reads.
“We do not want to be cast as the perfect backdrop and magnet for influencers on social media. We do not want to appear in ‘Byron Baes’.”
The petition calls on authorities to ‘address systemic issues on affordable housing, coastal erosion, rising unemployment, traffic management challenges, low high school completion and high levels of gender and domestic violence.’
The community is concerned about ‘the failure to be shown on a world stage in a way that could only harm our local environment and community.’
Ben Gordon, who owns the Byron Bay General Store, told CNN subsidiary 7News he turned down his business opportunity to appear in the series.
“They make up their own narration, drama and gossip stories and the outcome will paint a completely misleading and detrimental picture of what Byron is,” Gordon said.