Comm 2411 - Public Relations

Artefact #1: Placard at the S.L.A.M Rally Classification: Public Relations Group Members: Ellie!Cameron"Krepp!s3241757, Lincoln MacKinnon"! s3281856, Hashim!Sharaf!s3249704, Bridget!Lodge!"!s317077, Abbie!O’Brien! s3285446

Melbourne is home to a passionate music scene, with buskers littered throughout CBD street corners, and live music venues found at regular intervals throughout the city and suburbs. To musicians and music lovers, Melbourne is well renowned as Australia's live music capital and we ‘consider…forms and frequency of live music available in assessing ‘livability’’ (Homan, p6, 2010). However the reputation of music giving social capital to the city is in jeopardy due to its links with the over consumption of alcohol, and the media’s reported rise in alcohol fuelled violence.

This placard was held up during the S.L.A.M (Save Live Australia’s Music) Rally in 2010. The rally was held in a bid to peacefully protest new liquor licensing laws imposed by the government that have placed small live music venues at risk of closure. The rally was held in order to raise awareness of the unfair association between live music venues and bars and clubs where drunken violence was known to occur. The placard represents the ongoing struggle between the important culture of Melbourne’s live music

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scene and the changes and challenges it faces from the government.

Melbourne is ‘blessed with our culture of music…Collateral damage in the war against violence? Why should music pay for this curse?’ (Bland, p1,2010) With ongoing concerns of violence in Melbourne’s streets, the government is struggling with its priorities in assessing its need to project Melbourne as a safe city through rules, regulations and control - and the need to maintain and encourage the social capital of live music. It is inevitable that live music will always be a culture surrounded by the consumption of alcohol, but even if music isn’t to blame, alcohol isn’t either. Violence may be expressed through excessive alcohol consumption but isn’t necessarily caused by it.

It is then clear that alcohol fuelled aggression presents an underlying frustration of Melbourne's citizens, and demonstrates the presence of other issues within our society. Although this negative socio-cultural evolution can’t be easily pinpointed or specifically addressed by the government, they have taken action on more tangible factors such as liquor licensing in venues. Yet other issues need to be addressed before enforcing unsubstantiated rules that directly affect Melbourne’s culturally rich music scene.

The rally and artefact communicate the fact that this music scene is unfortunately considered ‘in terms that are fundamentally different from…arts or sports events’ (Lobato, p68, 2006). Live music is categorized within government legislation by its location within licensed venues, rather than its position as an art form. Does then, an emphasis on ‘livability’ and tourism impact on culture? In taking these forms of action, the government is sacrificing positive aspects of the city’s livelihood in order to combat the negative aspects.

Ultimately, there is a need for the government to consider how music within the city provides ‘commodity and social convention…live performance connects particular genres to particular spaces‘ (Homan, p6, 2010). If then, live music performances and venues hold such significance for Melbourne, 2

the government must adjust its perception of live music to equal other art and sporting events. It will be only to the detriment of Melbourne’s credibility if inappropriate rules and regulations continue to overpower culture.

Reference list: Bland, I, 2010, Untitled poem, SLAM Rally, viewed 11th April 2010 http://www.slamrally.org/speeches/ian-bland/ Homan, S, 2010, ‘Governmental as Anything: Live Music and Law and Order in Melbourne’, viewed 16th April 2010, http://www.slamrally.org/wpcontent/uploads/2010/03/Governmental-as-Anything.pdf Lobato, R, 2006, Gentrification, Cultural Policy and Live Music in Melbourne, Media International Australia Incorporating Culture & Policy, No. 120, pp. 6375

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Assessment Task #3 Title: ‘Surveillance camera’ Artefact # 2 Group Members: Ellie Cameron-Krepp s3241757, Lincoln MacKinnon- s3281856, Hashim Sharaf s3249704, Bridget Lodge - s317077, Abbie O’Brien s3285446

Corner of Exhibition and Bourke Streets, above doorway to Elephant and Wheelbarrow’ pub.

Classification: ‘public relations’ An innocent stroll through Melbourne’s streets on any given time of day, wearing old tattered clothing, singing out aloud, kissing a loved one or scratching an embarrassing itch, all the while, totally oblivious to the fact that every personal, and potentially damaging action was caught on camera. With the media’s recent hyped reports on the rise of drug and alcohol fuelled violence in Melbourne’s streets and the reported threat of terrorism, there was a mass instillation of cctv camera’s throughout Melbourne’s public and private places and supposed crime hotspots. This trend, adopted from countries such as Britain, who, in true big brother style has one CCTV camera for every 14 people (McCahill & Norris, 2002, p8), has resulted in the constant surveillance of Melbourne’s, in the main, oblivious citizens.

The wide spread use of CCTV surveillance throughout Melbourne has raised numerous ethical concerns, with many arguing that our basic human right to privacy has been abolished. As discussed through valuable public debate on

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programs such as Insight (2005, March 15), concerns have been raised over the vulnerability of Melbourne’s citizens, and the lack of choice and knowledge as a public, as to what information is given out, who can access it and for what purpose and how is it stored. This intrusion has further raised concerns that “Filming participants in political demonstrations may discourage free expression” (Hirsch & Garland, p62), and therefore compromise our civil liberties. The Australian and Victorian governments have failed to provide adequate legislation and regulatory services that monitor the instillation and regulate the use, observation, distribution and storage of the footage from cctv cameras in Australia (Wilson and Sutto, 2004, p220).

Through television programs such as Big Brother, and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, the normalization of surveillance and information sharing has developed, with many people not only aware of such technologies, but posing for the cameras and willingly sharing their personal information with the public. While the government and private companies have argued that cctv cameras have been installed to protect citizens and private property, the issue has been raised that the installation of CCTV cameras are “aimed at consumerism, for towns to market themselves as risk free” (Wilson & Sutto; 2004, p218), and doesn’t support, but marginalizes the average community members. Furthermore, due to the governments’ failure for community consultation before the installation of surveillance cameras, a “one way mirror” has been created (Hirsch & Garland, 2000, p62), with the public generally not made aware, through signage or easy visibility of cameras, that they are constantly under scrutiny.

In a country that prides itself on being young and free, encouraging freedom of speech and civil liberties, Melbourne, through the use of cctv cameras is quickly squashing that notion. The governments neglect in regulating the use of CCTV surveillance in Melbourne to ensure that it protects the rights of all citizens not that of businesses, consumerists and the cities image, has resulted in the loss of a fundamental right to privacy and absolute freedom.

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Reference list: 1. Hirsch V & Garland, A & Wakefield D, 2000, ‘Ethical and social perspectives on situational crime prevention’: The Ethics of public television surveillance; Alison Hart Publishing; pp59-77.

2. Insight: I Spy 2005, DVD Recording, SBS Television, 15 March 3. McCahill, M & Norris, C, 2002, ‘CCTV in Britain’; The History of CCTV in Britain, university of Hull, United Kingdom. p 8 4. Wilson,D & Sutto, A, 2004; ‘Watched over or overwatched’, Open Street CCTV in Australia, The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 211, vol. 37, no.2 pp. 211–230

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The Old Melbourne Gaol Artefact # 3 Group Members: Ellie!Cameron"Krepp!s3241757, Lincoln MacKinnon"! s3281856, Hashim!Sharaf!s3249704, Bridget!Lodge!"!s317077, Abbie!O’Brien! s3285446

Classification: Public Relations The Old Melbourne Gaol is a historically significant prison and museum located in Russel Street (between Victoria and La Trobe St). The unique architecture of the prison was based upon the designs of British prison engineer Joshua Jebb and the Pentonville Model Prison in London (Old Melbourne Gaol 2002). The old distinctive building is made of local blue stone bricks and the floor of English slate (previously used as ballast on ships) (Old Melbourne Gaol 2002). The prison won the award in 2008 for ‘Best Heritage and Cultural Tourism Attraction’ in Australia (Old Melbourne gaol 2002), with many tourists visiting the Gaol for an authentic and educational life experience.

The presence of this historically significant gaol, with its unique and colonial style architecture, is placed in direct contrast with the modern architecture of the surrounding buildings – comprised of High skyscrapers, billboards, multiplexes, flashing lights and modern and innovative transport systems. Its presence serves to project a safe, authoritarian and controlled

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image of the city, ultimately showing the governments historic and current exorcising of power over its citizens, serving as a stern symbol of deterrence (Wilson, D, 2006).

Undoubtedly, when visitors enter the gaol and are

presented with the gallows, exercise yards, death mask, steel chains and tight cells, they will feel the full encompassing force of the law that governs this land, and the immense; history, architecture and social significance of the building.

The historical Gaol now functions exclusively as a tourist attraction, with public relation professionals marketing Melbourne as a city rich with culture and history. The fact that twenty five to thirty percent of the gaols summer visitors are children (Webb, 2009) indicates that the gaol has been successfully marketed and transferred from a deplorable and frightening place, to an attractive and educational place that entices both local and international tourists. Its close proximity to RMIT University further creates an affiliation with the gaols function as an educational experience for not only children but also adults.

In an age controlled by technological and over stimulating experiences, The Melbourne Gaol has become a popular tourist attraction, as many people seek an authentic experience that is rich with history and culture. With the Gaols role and existence firmly planted in Melbourne, and Australia's history, it provides a unique, simplistic, architectural and honest experience - which is seldom experienced within the setting of a modern city such as Melbourne.

Through the Old Melbourne Gaols unique place in Melbourne's history, its colonial and gothic style architecture and its unmistakably eerie and mystical presence, the gaol ultimately attracts a wide range of local and international tourists. These tourists are ultimately seeking an authentic and real educational experience, as opposed to the often contrived and inpersonal modern setting. This intern enables public relation professionals to Market Melbourne as both a city full of great culture and history, as well as a city of advanced technology and multi sensory experiences.

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Reference List: Old Melbourne gaol, 2002, Video CD, RMIT publishing, Melbourne Webb, C, 2009, Old Melbourne Gaol gives up ghosts of children past , The Age 23 December, White, R, 1993, Youth and the Conflict over Urban Space, Children’s Environments, University of Melbourne, pp 110-123 Wilson, D, 2006, The Beat: Policing a Victorian City, Melbourne Publishing Group, Melbourne

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L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Artefact # 4 Group Members: Ellie Cameron-Krepp s3241757, Lincoln MacKinnon- s3281856, Hashim Sharaf s3249704, Bridget Lodge - s317077, Abbie O’Brien s3285446

Classification: Public Relations Melbourne positions itself as a city defined by its culture, allowing a sense of place and character to be formed. Playing host to hundreds of festivals and events each year, Melbourne seeks to establish itself as the ‘events city’. Such calendared events benefit not only local residents but also the greater national and international tourist market (Derrett, 2004). L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival is one such event held in Melbourne annually.

Melbourne is identified as the fashion capital of Australia, with LMFF the largest retail and consumer driven fashion event in the country (Brumby, LMFF 2010). The late Herbert Blumer, an American sociologist, believed fashion was one of the central mechanisms for creating order in modern society. He defines fashion as a "continuing pattern of change in which certain social forms enjoy temporary acceptance and respectability only to be replaced by others more abreast of the times” (Rüling, 2000, p6). Melbourne as a fashion destination is not just high heels and couture. It is individual in its approach to fashion, representing the constantly evolving style of the eclectic, eccentric and creative people that inhabit the city every day. Fashion has one of the greatest abilities to define and communicate a culture. Acting as a

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communicative tool, it has the capability to function as a symbol of status and class within the western world (Kuruc, 2008). Having LMFF on Melbourne’s calendar, endorses an elite class of populace that are among the first to sense the direction fashion will develop (Rüling, 2000, p6).

LMFF is not the only festival on Melbourne’s event calendar; the International Comedy Festival, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and the International Flower and Garden show have all have been calendared to illustrate Melbourne, allowing a sense of place and character to be formed (Derrett, 2004). Since the 1980s Melbourne has undergone a complete transformation from a city heavily dominated by manufacturing employment to one that holds a ‘unique’ physical, social and cultural profile (O’Hanlon, 2009).

In an effort to define this profile, the Victorian state government and the Melbourne City Council have engaged with such events to showcase these cultural practices to a wide audience. The public relations professionals involved in projecting this cultured image of Melbourne both nationally and internationally, has allowed for a distinct identification to be formed of the city.

Melbourne’s intended depiction of a cultured city is partly developed through government control. It is a city that has “utilized its cultural infrastructure and tradition off mass spectatorship at sporting events to drive economic development” (O’Hanlon, p2, 2009). Public relations professionals have worked over the years to reinvent Melbourne as a city where culture is now the business.

When branding and identifying a city, festivals and events have a direct correlation to the cities prosperity, identity and tourism image (Derrett, 2004).

Through use of festivals and events, such as LMFF, Melbourne is able to successfully market itself to a national and international audience, as both a livable city and ideal tourist destination.

Reference List: Brumby, J 2010, Welcome, L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, <http://www.lmff.com.au/festival-info/welcome> accessed May 22nd 2010

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Derrett, R 2004, ‘Festivals, Events and the Destination,’ Yeoman, I. Robertson, M. Ali-Knight, J. Drummond, S. McMahon-Beattie, U. Festivals and Events Management: an International Arts and Cultural Perspective, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, pp. 32 – 53 Kuruc, K 2008, ‘Fashion as Communication: A semiotic analysis of fashion on ‘Sex and the City’’, Semiotica, vol. 171, no. 1 – 4, pp. 193 - 214 O’Hanlon, S 2009, ‘The Events City: Sport, Culture and the Transformation of Inner City Melbourne.’ Urban History Review, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 30 – 41 Rüling, C-C 2000, ‘Theories of (Management?) Fashion: The Contributions of Veblen, Simmel, Blumer and Bourdieu,’ Copenhagen Business School, available from <http://www.hec.unige.ch> accessed 30th May 2010

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The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Artefact # 1 Group Members: Ellie!Cameron"Krepp!s3241757, Lincoln MacKinnon"! s3281856, Hashim!Sharaf!s3249704, Bridget!Lodge!"!s317077, Abbie!O’Brien! s3285446 Classification: Public Relations

The MCG is one of Australia’s most significant sporting grounds and is widely recognized as the home of Australian Sport. Its presence has fuelled the development of two of Australia’s most popular sports- cricket and AFL. Since its erection in the 1850’s, the Melbourne Cricket Ground has contributed to Melbourne’s cultural history through its strong social link with the Australian sporting community.

The MCG is a place that embodies Australia’s National Identity. It has acted as a strong force in the growth of the Australian Football League, which has merged into the modern Melbournian lifestyle and culture. In the mid 1970’s in Australia, political opposition leader, Malcolm Fraser commented “Australians would turn from the front pages of newspapers, full of accounts of political maneuverings, scandals and accusations, to the back pages where they would read the sporting news” (Dunning E & Malcolm D, 2003). Such a statement is a manifestation of how sport has played a significant role in shaping Australia’s national identity. The idea that all Australians were expected to ‘return to a position of normality where sport assumed more importance...then political activity’ (Dunning E & Malcolm D, 2003) suggests

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how sport has be naturalized into Australian culture.

To take part in the AFL community is to take part in the Melbournian way of life. The Australian Football League culture has become so influential within the Melbournian way of life, that it is being assimilated into Australian education. The promotion of AFL in the classroom reinforces the concept of sport dominating the Australian national identity. It proposes the idea that it is socially atypical for Melbournian children, to be educated with limited knowledge in Australian football.

Sports relations with national identity can be analyzed in terms of spectatorship. The development of spectatorship in terms of sport has resulted in the formation imagined communities within the sporting culture, such as the AFL league. Supporters of sporting clubs gain a sense of place and identity within their community. The notion of imagined communities within sport spectatorship has stimulated connections between total strangers.

Spectatorship of sport has been suggested to be far from a passive activity, rather it is proposed as an ‘aesthetic, a moral and an emotional experience.’

(S Mumford) For this reason it has motivated warfare. ‘Spectator-sport warfare’ is a phenomenon that is ‘localized in its conduct and impact’ (C McInnes) and creates conflict and rivalry between imagined sporting communities. It draws on ideas of nations and territories opposing one another in a cold war, through sport.

An excerpt extracted from the book ‘Australian Identity; a sense of Belonging’, briefly outlines and denotes how sport has vastly developed the national identity of Australians. It advocates that Australians are so passionate about sport; it can be referred to as a ‘national religion.’ (Dowling E, 2007) The book explores Australian national identity is closely related to sport. It embraces the assumption that ‘…our sense of national pride’ (Dowling E, 2007) is closely connected with sport and bases its premise on the notion that the Australian identity, in essence, is shaped by sport. The MCG has been a key compel in the nurture and growth of Australian sport.

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References: Dunning, E & Malcom, D 2003 Sport: Issues in the sociology of Sport, 4th edn, Taylor and Francis, (Part 17 ‘Sport, Nationalism and International Politics’, pgs 7-16) How to Celebrate Australian Football in the Classroom, AFL, viewed 9th April 2010, http://www.afl.com.au/portals/0/afl_docs/development/schools/lesson_thearts. pdf Author unknown, 2007 RIC Publications, Australian Identity; a Sense of Belonging, RIC Publications, pages 43-44 McInnes, C., Spectator-Sport War: the West and Contemporary Conflict, (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002), p.55.

M McNamee, S Mumford, J Perry ‘Watching Sport; Aestetics, Ethics and Emotion for the Spectator’ viewed 29th of May, 2010 http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415377904/

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COMM2411 – Communication and Social Relations Assessment Task#3, Semester 1, 2010 Map of Revisions GROUP NAMES & STUDENT NUMBERS: 1. Ellie Cameron-Krepp s3241757 2. Lincoln MacKinnon - s3281856 3. Hashim Sharaf s3249704 4. Bridget Lodge - s3170772 5. Abbie O’Brien s3285446 Referee Comments KEY TUTOR FEEDBACK (on WRITTEN ASSESSMENT TASK #1)

RESPONSE/ACTION

Artefact #1, SLAM RALLY ! Incorrect assigning of professional strand to primary source ! One source perhaps not appropriate as scholarly ! Bias in sources towards policy/institutional/quantitative analysis

Artefact #1/ SLAM RALLY ! Changed classification from Media to Public Relations ! Recognition and discussion of source as descriptively useful and relevant but holding less validity and worth than if it had have been peer reviewed. ! Change in focus to more relevant descriptive analysis.

Artefact #2/ SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ! Incorrect assigning of professional strand to primary source.

Artefact #2/ SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ! Changed classification from Media to public Relations.

Artefact #3, OLD MELBOURNE GAOL ! Incorrect assigning of professional strand to primary source.

Artefact #3, OLD MELBOURNE GAOL ! Changed classification from Design to Public Relations.

Artefact #4, LMFF ! The use of the word ‘identity’ needs a definition ! Discuss the class of people that are represented by such fashion festivals. ! Incorrect assigning of professional strand to primary source.

Artefact #4, LMFF ! Made use of other words including establishing in defining how Melbourne is viewed. ! Changed classification from media to public relations.

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Artefact # 5, MCG ! No reference to an author in one of my scholarly sources ! No identification of whether my scholarly source is has a persuasive tone and whether it uses evidence Incorrect assigning of professional strand to primary source

Artefact # 5, MCG ! Noted in my bibliography that the author was ‘unknown’ ! Used evidence to suggest that my scholarly source used fact to persuade its audience Changed classification to public relations

KEY VERBAL FEEDBACK FROM TUTOR (IN CLASS WORKSHOP AND/OR PRESENTATION) Artefact #1, SLAM RALLY ! Remember importance of music as giving social capital to the city. ! Deeper analysis of the cultures around consumption of alcohol and consider how violence is expressed by alcohol but not caused by it.

Artefact #1, SLAM RALLY ! Stronger emphasis on the importance of music as social capital and how that relates to the artefact. ! Consideration of the underlying frustrations and issues that are prevalent in our culture, and how this violence emerges from alcohol use and how the government addresses the alcohol use rather than the underlying issues.

Artefact #2/ SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ! How has Surveillance been ‘normalized’ in society? Through television programmes and other technologies.

Artefact #2/ SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ! Addressed the normalisation of surveillance and information sharing though television programs such as big brother and information sharing and networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Detailing that people have not only adopted these technologies but pose for them and willingly share personal information.

Artefact #3, OLD MELBOURNE GAOL ! How the space speaks to you and what it cause? ! Discuss the desire of the people to look back on an authentic experience?

Artefact #3, OLD MELBOURNE GAOL ! Reinterpretation of the jail in terms of the People and their desire to look back on authentic experiences and how modern 17

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Why people go on these tours and explore the history of Australia?

What are they searching for?

How we perceive entertainment in terms of Old Melbourne jail?

lives seem so contrived, so people look for authenticity.

Artefact #4, LMFF ! Example of how fashion communicates status and belonging. ! How does fashion tie into changes in society. Almost a treadmill effect. ! Fashion as a set of forces making the population strive to fit in.

Artefact #4, LMFF ! Found a new source that discusses the meaning of fashion in society. It discusses both the constant changing of fashion trends as well as the elite class of populace that senses and follows this direction.

Artefact # 5, MCG ! Suggest ways in which sport has simulated warfare ! Convey ideas about sport as an a process of emotional experience ! Communicate the notion of sporting clubs as an imagined community

Artefact # 5, MCG ! found a new source that conveys ideas about sport as an emotional experience ! found another source about spectator-sport warfare and incorporated it’s thesis into my synthesis Identified sport as creating imagined communities within the sporting culture

PEER FEEDBACK Artefact #1, SLAM RALLY ! Make stronger reference to concept of ‘liveability’ and emphasis on Melbourne as a safe city. ! More focus on division between freedom and security.

Artefact #2, SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ! Make referencing consistent with other group members. ! Untidy use of grammar.

Artefact #3, OLD MELBOURNE GAOL

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Used public relations classification as grounds for including concept of ‘liveability’ in discussion.

Identified and discussed how the overarching strategy of the government can create a division between freedom and security

Placed name of Journals in the referencing section in Italics.

Reworked sentences so they use the correct punctuation.

!Talk about the educational qualities of the gaol

! Made reference to the children and adults who visit the gaol for educational purposes. As well as the close proximity of RMIT university to the Gaol. !

Corrected referencing style

! Correct the referencing ! Incorrect use of grammar

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Corrected spelling and punctuation

Artefact #4, LMFF !

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Reword conclusion to focus specifically on LMFF and not simply events and festivals. expand on opening sentence of third paragraph. make referencing consistent with the other group members

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Reworded paragraph, bringing LMFF back into the argument as the main reference point for festivals and events in Melbourne constructing its image.

Expanded sentence to include examples of other festivals and events in Melbourne.

Changed where I placed the intext reference.

Artefact # 5, MCG Artefact # 5, MCG ! Make more direct links between the â&#x20AC;˘ I specifically linked the MCG to MCG and national identity national identity by stating it as strong ! Explore other ways sport has force in the development of AFL influence to Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture through its social links with the sport.

Also I made reference to how sport spectatorship has influenced the development imagined communities within the sporting culture

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