The streaming company announced plans to film a series called “Byron Baes” in an April 7 press release, sparking opposition in the form of an online petition that garnered more than 6,700 signatures on Monday.
“It’s a universally recognized truth that an influencer who has a good number of followers needs a beach background,” Netflix said.
Byron Bay is “the perfect setting for our next Australian Netflix Original series”, which will follow “hot Instagrammers who lead their best lives”, the press release continued.
The planned “Docu-Soap” is called “Byron Baes”.
Netflix
But locals have drafted a petition asking local authorities to refuse to grant filming permits and cancel any permits that have already been granted, citing the negative impact of filming on the community and the environment.
“We are a community facing significant challenges due to the culture of influencers and the rapid demographic evolution of residents,” the petition states.
“We do not want to be thrown as a perfect background and magnet for social media influencers. We don’t want to appear in “Byron Baes.”
The petition calls on the authorities to “address systemic housing accessibility issues, coastal erosion, rising unemployment, traffic management challenges, low high school completion rates and high levels of gender and family violence”.
The community is concerned about the “consequences of presenting on a global stage in a way that can only affect our local environment and the community”.
Ben Gordon, who owns the Byron Bay general store, told CNN affiliate 7News that he turned down the opportunity for his business to appear in series.
“They make up their own narrative, drama and gossip, and the result will paint a completely misleading and damaging picture of what Byron is,” Gordon said.