In years gone by, Summernats was synonymous with misogyny. While it's become more family-friendly in recent years, some female attendees say they still take precautions to avoid being sexually harassed. Canberra's peak body against sexual violence says it saw a significant increase in calls for help during last year's festival. But the event's owner says Summernats is a safe place for women.
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00:00Summer Nats was once infamous for three things, boobs, booze and burnouts.
00:13And while many may acknowledge the event's culture has changed, some women still find
00:18themselves thinking about more than just cars.
00:21I probably wouldn't wear what I'm wearing today, it's a bit too tight.
00:24I usually wear a large black singlet, then I don't get tall tits out for the boys.
00:31Devout car enthusiast Celeste has been a Summer Nats regular for a decade.
00:36And while she says the festival has become safer for women, she still struggles to get
00:41her girlfriends to go with her and she doesn't stay past the afternoon.
00:45I'm just very careful not to put myself in a situation where I might see or be in a situation
00:52to be harassed I guess.
00:56When testosterone fuelled sexism peaked in the late 2000s, it was as intimidating as
01:02it was unavoidable.
01:05I have experienced what I think a lot of females in the past have experienced around Summer
01:10Nats.
01:11It was the typical, the chanting, the boobs or burnouts.
01:15Kylie has since praised Summer Nats for becoming more family friendly and organisers insist
01:21it's evolved into a safe place for women.
01:24My message to women this year for Summer Nats 37 is the same as it is every year.
01:29Come enjoy the festival, you'll be safe.
01:31In 2008, hundreds of men were seen mobbing, chanting and sexually harassing women.
01:37The following year, the event changed hands.
01:40The new owners quickly moved to stamp out sexual harassment, starting with Scrapping
01:45the Wet T-shirt competition in 2010 and the Saturday Night Strip show in 2012.
01:51Six years later, the event abolished its annual Miss Summer Nats pageant and introduced a
01:56zero-tolerance policy, requiring patrons to declare they would not harass others.
02:02In a statement, Summer Nats told the ABC it received no reports of sexual harassment in
02:072024, but acknowledged reporting this behaviour can be confronting.
02:12The Canberra Rape Crisis Centre says it saw an increase of up to 30% in calls for help
02:17during Summer Nats last year compared to an average weekend.
02:21It can be due to the environment of Summer Nats, the influx of visitors, some of the
02:27anti-social behaviours that are occurring, the use of alcohol and illicit drugs.
02:32Any spectator or any participant in Summer Nats should be able to go anywhere they like
02:37at any time, okay, and that's our commitment.
02:40A commitment that continues to be tested.