You don’t have to go to Rio, but you can’t stay here.
That’s the message from the City of Bunbury which is playing looped audio of the Peter Allen classic “I Go to Rio” at the Graham Bricknell Music Shell, the city’s outdoor bandstand on the waterfront, to deter the homeless, vandals, and other antisocial elements.
The shell, adjacent to the bus depot, has a covered stage which provides shelter to people sleeping rough. Fires have been lit on the grounds and, given its location as a place to hang out, the site has seen fights and been subject to vandalism.
The technique of using music to deter loitering is now widely used with classical or other music uncool to teenagers effective at dispersal. Train stations in Perth use the tactic.
Neither Siri nor Shazam could identify the version of the song being played in Bunbury but it is almost certainly Allen’s 1978 performance on Burt Sugarman’s Midnight Special, the late-night NBC variety show famed for live performances.
The clip begins in the second verse where the singer speaks of feeling like Tarzan of the jungle and continues for just over a minute into the guitar break before stuttering into silence. After a moment’s rest it repeats.
The audio issues from a device in place since May. Questions to the city on the nature of the device, how it was sourced, installed and paid for and whether options other than Peter Allen were available went unanswered although a statement of reply from the acting director of planning and development John Kowal said playing music repetitively has been proved to be an effective measure to deter anti-social behaviour and vandalism.
Learning that music was being played at the shell, Councillor Michelle Steck’s initial reaction was touchingly optimistic.
“It’s light-hearted entertainment I suppose, to keep people’s spirits up.”
When informed the music was intended to repel, however, she was not the type to let vibrations tickle her imagination easily.
“It’s disgraceful,” she said, “If it’s being deliberately done, it’s disgraceful. It’s just putting the problem somewhere else. This is not how you deal with people.”
To those with a passionate persuasion for dancin’ or romancin’ the city might appear to be on the hot sands.
Councillor and deputy mayor Brendan Kelly, who became aware of the music a week ago as he happened by, said regardless of effectiveness, it was not a solution.
“It’s not my preferred option by any stretch,” he said.
Mr Kelly would not be drawn on the suitability of Allen’s music to the task.
“I just hope the estate is getting royalties,” he said.
“But it’s not a frivolous matter that homelessness is becoming such an issue. This is a misguided strategy. We have to work on policies to make sure people who are less fortunate are cared for.”
Lieutenant Harriet Farquhar of the Salvation Army never expected the technique to be used in Bunbury.
“I’m trying to pick my jaw up off the floor,” she said.
“We’re a council that pushes the respect message, and isn’t that to treat everyone with kindness? It doesn’t seem to be choosing respect.”
Member for Bunbury John Castrilli was apparently unaware of the music and his office informed the Mail he would not be commenting. But Liberal candidate Ian Morison, who was also previously unaware of the tactic, said it did not convey an image of Bunbury as a compassionate city, although Starship’s “We Built This City” would be more repellant.
Labor candidate Don Punch said any short piece of music continually repeated would be hard to live with.
“I suspect repetitive playing of any music would be difficult particularly if people had mental health issues,” he said. “I think it demeans homeless people. I can't imagine any artist would want to see their music used for such a purpose.”
Most of the city councillors contacted by the Mail were unaware of the music although several were quick to suggest the measure was aimed at vandals rather than the homeless.
Councillor and Nationals candidate for Collie-Preston Monique Warnock said the city has an obligation to protect ratepayer property and that the homeless were unfortunate casualties.
Asked whether the use of Allen’s music in this way might demean an Aussie showbiz legend, Ms Warnock was emphatic: “That was the best miniseries ever,” she said.
For councillor and Nationals candidate for Bunbury James Hayward the measure is not about targeting the homeless.
“I don’t accept the music is there to scare anyone, it’s there to help encourage people to be calm and ultimately to move on to another location,” he said.
“This measure needs to be seen in context with other efforts being made by the community, The In Town Lunch Centre, the Salvation Army and many other individuals and organisations.”
Lieutenant Farquhar sees a starker reality: “There aren’t the services there. There’s nowhere to get a shower. We need more practical approaches.”
Councillor Betty McCleary said the tactic was cost effective and “really quite passive”.
"I think it's a great song. I might just go there with my bed," she said. "We are compassionate. If we weren't, we could've locked up the Bricknell and made it look quite militant. However, there are security and safety measures we need to put in place to protect our assets.”
Councillor Murray Cook said the method was "gentle" in dissuading people from loitering in the area. "I don't have a problem with it because at the end of the day, it's only sound," he said. "My concern is where they are going if they're not going there. I'm not sure we cater that well for them."
That effect is called displacement, and Dr Mark Liddiard, a senior lecturer at Curtin University’s Department of Social Work, told the Mail it has also been observed with the introduction of CCTV cameras where crime simply moved to unmonitored areas.
“We also have to consider cuts in services,” said Dr Liddiard. “We shouldn’t look at any of this in isolation.”
Things could be worse. Dr Liddiard spoke of a case in the UK where bagpipe music was used, then Val Doonican, and finally Alvin and the Chipmunks.
“That was very effective,” he said.
At least until the residents petitioned to stop the music on the grounds of cruelty, perhaps as much to them as to any offenders.
“It’s understandable but disappointing,” said Dr Liddiard of the tactic. “But antisocial behaviour is problematic.”
“We have to be careful of dehumanising, and this seems like a policy response of last resort. We need a more holistic approach, and more services.
“And think about Guantánamo and elsewhere where music being employed like this is akin to psychological torture.”
