Recently Maribyrnong Council received an application from the producers of Struggle Street to film in Braybrook. The first series of Struggle Street was filmed in Mt Druitt in western Sydney, leading to the local council, Blacktown Council, ordering a blockade of garbage trucks as a protest against SBS. Critics of the program have referred to the production as “poverty porn.”
Maribyrnong Council rejected the application to film, saying;
“Due to the manner in which the producers portrayed suburbs, residents and disadvantage in the first series, we have denied the permit. While the producers may claim that they “shine a light on social and economic disadvantage”, Council does not see it in the same way.
This Council works extremely hard to manage and deliver programs to support our community who may face a range of social barriers and issues. But we believe that the production would depict our city in what are stereotypes of Melbourne’s west.”
We wrote to Council imploring them to reject the application to film. We agree with widespread community views that the only aim of these programmes is to exploit the poor for the purposes of cheap entertainment.
We fear that the series would misrepresent the Braybrook community, and a skewed portrayal of Braybrook could only serve to exacerbate the stigma that is attached to living in one of Australia’s most disadvantaged communities.
Maribyrnong Council should be congratulated for the way they have dealt with this application.