FRANKSTON’S reputation as a poverty stricken suburb has seen it named as favourite to host a second season of controversial SBS documentary TV series Struggle Street.
Major online bookmaker Sportsbet has nominated Frankston as the joint favourite suburb, alongside the NSW suburb of Minto, to “feel the wrath of our multicultural broadcaster in season 2 of the show”.
Community leaders and some residents in Mt Druitt, the subject of Struggle Street, are angry at the suburb’s portrayal as a crime-ridden hotbed of mental illness and substance abuse.
Some have labelled the show voyeuristic “poverty porn”.
SBS describes Struggle Street as “observing the voices and stories of a cross-section of the western Sydney community struggling to get by while facing overwhelming personal and social challenges”.
A media release by Sportsbet last Thursday (7 May) asked “could there be more of a bogan cliché than Frankston?” and brought the suburb to the attention of SBS.
“Frankston has everything producers could possibly want in a location for a second series – flannos, ugg boots and even a Lowes store,” spokesman Christian Jantzen said in the media release.
When contacted by The Times on Friday Mr Jantzen was quick to stress “this is just a bit of fun”.
“It’s all in jest and it’s nothing against Frankston which is a beautiful place and has a lovely beach.”
He said Frankston is “probably the next most clichéd suburb for Struggle Street” after Mt Druitt.
Mr Jantzen said he had in fact visited Frankston on several occasions and “never had any problems at all”.
Frankston Labor MP Paul Edbrooke defended the suburb’s reputation.
“Frankston doesn’t need its most disadvantaged residents to be reality TV fodder which reinforces old, tired and negative stereotypes,” he said.
“I’d invite anyone to come celebrate how great Frankston is and witness the work going on in our community to help give people the chances they need in life before they take a cheap shot at them.”
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show Frankston is nowhere near the top of the nation’s list of most disadvantaged suburbs.
When this was put to Mr Jantzen he said about 80 per cent of punters had backed Frankston as the most likely location for any second series of Struggle Street.
A spokeswoman for SBS told The Times there have been no discussions to decide whether to commission a second series of Struggle Street.
The three-part series was produced by KEO Films and was part funded by Screen Australia.
Mr Jantzen said all bets will be void if SBS does not commission a second series.
“Punters will get their money back.”
He said filming of any second series of Struggle Street will have to begin this year for Sportsbet to pay out.
Despite – or perhaps because of – the negative publicity surrounding Struggle Street, the show has been a ratings success for SBS.
OzTAM ratings revealed 1.31 million viewers watched the show’s first episode last Wednesday evening, to give SBS it highest-ever audience for a documentary.
Frankston Council was contacted for comment about Frankston being named a likely location for a second series of Struggle Street but mayor Cr Sandra Mayer was unavailable before deadline.
