SPEAK-UP SAFELY: Active bystander intervention when witness to harassment & discrimination
Become an active bystander by learning how to recognise harassment, discrimination and bullying and actively intervene.
Bad behaviour doesn’t stop by itself.
To shift our industries away from cultures of bullying, harassment, and discrimination, we need to understand what’s not acceptable – and feel empowered to act when we see it.
SPEAK UP SAFELY is an active bystander workshop for people working across the Australian creative industries. You’ll learn how to recognise bullying, harassment, and discrimination when they occur, and how to respond safely and effectively to support others, uphold boundaries, and reinforce respect.
Originally developed by cohealth and Music Victoria in response to widespread reports of sexual assault and harm in the music industry, the program has been updated for broader creative industry contexts. Content is tailored to a range of work environments, such as live events, studios, rehearsals, tours, production, offices, and more.
Why it matters
Sexual harassment, assault, and bullying occur at disproportionate rates in the music and creative industries. These incidents can have long-term psychological effects on individuals and shape what’s considered “normal” or tolerable in workplace culture.
In freelance-heavy, high-pressure, and often informal environments, harmful behaviours can be enabled by power imbalances, poor boundaries, and entrenched norms. While these issues are complex, every individual – and every organisation – has a role to play in cultural change.
This workshop supports that change by helping people build knowledge, confidence, and shared responsibility to create safer, more inclusive workspaces.
Clinically speaking
Bullying, harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct impact everyone – directly or indirectly. These experiences often cause distress and, for many, contribute to a range of more serious mental health challenges, including burnout, anxiety, depression, and trauma responses.
This training is one part of a broader approach to support mental health, challenge stigma, and shift harmful cultural norms.
For individual support, see the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline
What you’ll learn
Through personal reflection, open discussion, and creative-industry case studies, this session will help you:
- Define what constitutes bullying, harassment, and discrimination
- Understand the impact of these behaviours on individuals and communities
- Explore your role and responsibilities as an active bystander
- Learn accessible, real-world strategies to safely interrupt or respond to harm
- Contribute to more respectful, compassionate, and accountable workplace culture.
How the training works
Speak Up Safely can be delivered online or in person and is available in two formats:
- 2-hour core workshop
Covers the foundations of bystander action, including behavioural definitions, types of interventions, and unpacking the culture of harm and power.
- 4-hour extended session
Offers deeper engagement with personal reflection exercises, expanded group discussion, and more detailed case study work relevant to your industry.
Workshops are capped to allow for meaningful participation. These are active learning spaces – if attending online, we ask that you have your camera on and come ready to engage.
The content may bring up strong emotions; we encourage you to care for your wellbeing throughout.
How to join
Public sessions are announced via our social media and newsletters. If you’d like to keep up to date with upcoming events and programs, sign up to our mailing list here.
For workplaces
If you’re part of an Australian creative business or organisation, we can run a SPEAK UP SAFELY workshop for your team.
- To complete an online session you will need a group of 6-40 participants.
- To complete an in-person session you will need a group of 6-24 participants (fees may apply).
Want to know more? Enquire at [email protected]
Alternatively, your group can also register in one of the public access sessions.
The serious stuff
Support Act is a registered Public Benevolent Institution (PBI).
This means our primary purpose is to relieve distress, hardship and suffering, and to support people who are experiencing, or are at risk of, significant vulnerability.
Our PBI status reflects our commitment to delivering programs that provide genuine public benefit, are responsibly governed, and remain focused on supporting those who need help most across the music and creative industries.
Our programs are proudly supported by Creative Workplaces
