Beachballs
Produced and directed by Bronwyn Kidd
SBS TV, Tuesday, December 12, 8.30pm
REVIEW BY MARINA CARMAN
If you want a chance to see some of the reality behind the glamour and glitz of the Sydney Olympics, then park yourself in front of the TV again for this documentary. Made by Bondi film-maker Bronwyn Kidd, this is the story of the campaign against the Olympic beach volleyball stadium which took a big chunk of Bondi Beach, the Bondi Pavilion community and arts centre, and most of the foreshore for months this year.
As usual corporate interests tried to stomp all over people and the environment. Funnily enough, this did not get as much publicity as the two Australian women who won gold medals in the beach volleyball.
Giant US broadcaster NBC wanted the event at Bondi Beach, and the fact that their Olympic contract was worth $2 billion over eight years was very persuasive.
Local people concerned about the loss of public space, the environmental impact of the stadium and the lack of consultation organised a campaign led by the Bondi Olympic Watch group. The documentary provides a good overview of the issues raised by the campaign and is an antidote to the capitalist media's campaign to paint the protesters as selfish NIMBYs ("not in my back yard").
The dynamics and internal workings of the campaign are also fascinating — from conflicts with the ALP-led Waverley Council (which capitulated to the push for the stadium, claiming it could control and minimise its impact) to debates over civil disobedience.
Although the campaign did not stop the stadium, it is inspiring to see how quickly a diverse group of people can politicise and organise around an issue of common concern. That was the real success of the campaign.