Netflix Releases Trailer For Controversial Byron Baes Series
Locals fear the show will gloss over Byron Bay's social and environmental issues.
International streaming giant Netflix has released the trailer for its upcoming Australian 'reality' series Byron Baes.
The show will track a 'clique of trendy hustlers, musicians, designers, spiritual healers and artists' as they 'grow their businesses, connections and social followings' in NSW's Byron Bay region.
"Australian influencers flock to Byron Bay for its warm, beachy beauty and cool, creative vibe. Follow these friends as they negotiate life and love," Netflix said.
Netflix categories the upcoming show as a 'docu-soap'.
Locals, however, have long feared the show will gloss over issues affecting the town including environmental degradation and lack of housing.
They went so far as to hold a 'paddle out' protest and call on the streaming platform to cancel the show.
There was also a petition calling on local business owners and Government bodies to deny production crews permission to film on their premises.
It fell short of its aim of 30,000 signatures, generating 9,846.
"We, the community of Byron, Ballina, Tweed, and Lismore Shires are not the perfect backdrop for this series," the petition explained.
"We are a community experiencing significant challenges driven by influencer culture and rapidly shifting demographics of residents.
"We do not want to be cast as the perfect backdrop and magnet for social media influencers.
"We do not want to appear in Byron Baes.
"Rather than using our region as a reality show punch line we want our Local, State and Federal Government representatives and relevant regulatory authorities to focus on supporting our community to address systemic issues of housing affordability, coastal erosion, increasing unemployment, traffic management challenges, low high school completion rates and high levels of gendered and domestic violence.
"We want our voice to be heard and we do not want to deal with the fallout of being showcased on a global stage in a way that can only harm our local environment and community."
Netflix's director of content for Australia and New Zealand, Que Minh Luu, has previously said: "You've got this cabal, or live feed as we've been calling it, of Instagrammers, who all live up in Byron, and there are a lot of them.
"And we're following them as they're going about the hustle and finding love and happiness and the validation of the people around them and people online."
Featured Image Credit: Netflix & AlamyVivienne Kelly