Two women who accused their previous employer of sustained discrimination have launched a new collective in the lead-up to International Women’s Day.

The conduct of Swillhouse, which owns several restaurants and bars in Sydney, was thrown into sharp focus last year during an investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and Good Food that revealed allegations that the company had pushed staff out of the company after reporting sexual assaults, encouraged staff to have sex with customers and discriminated against women.

Former Swillhouse employees Rachelle “Rocky” Hair and Jenna Hemsworth are leading the Sorry Not Sorry project and aim to raise $250,000 via GoFundMe for their upcoming legal cases against their ex-employer. They’re also using the momentum in the wake of the investigations to organise events.

The campaign will go on the road in a ‘Takeover Tour’ with themed events in venues around the country. The first event is in Melbourne on March 23, when Caretaker’s Cottage and Sorry Not Sorry collaborate at The Lincoln in Carlton. There’s a Sydney event at Disco Pantera on April 13 (follow here for more details.)

“What better way than to take over bars, open up direct communication and promote the idea that people should be treated with respect at work. It’s partying for a cause,” says Hair.

Hair and Hemsworth have one of the world’s top employment lawyers, Sheryn Omeri, KC, to represent them against Swillhouse. Omeri advised victims of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, among others.

“Our initiative is more than just a fight for our individual rights – it’s the kicking down of the door for change that will positively impact the global hospitality community. Through this fundraising campaign, we aim to ensure our voices are heard, and our efforts are not silenced.

“Most people in our situation are forced to drop out because of the financial liability. That’s why nothing ever changes.”

“...people are realising that the cowboy culture in hospitality can’t continue, and that there are consequences.”

Women and Revolution board member Saranya Kundasamy

The winners of Good Food’s inaugural cultural change champion awards are keen to see more people and collectives agitating the status quo. The award, handed out in November last year, recognises advocates creating a positive, safe and empowering hospitality industry for women. In NSW that was Women and Revolution (WaR), and Victoria’s winner was Jamie Bucirde.

WaR and Bucirde tell Good Food they’re keen for the big reckoning of 2024 to make bigger shifts in workplace culture in 2025.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in awareness thanks in large part to several very brave individuals going on the record with their stories, along with buy-in from mainstream media,” says WaR president Bridget Raffal. “Now that we have that awareness, we want to make sure it is turned into action.”

She senses an appetite for change. “So many proactive people in the industry are approaching us and saying, ‘yes, we can see there is a problem, we want to get on top of it, we want to move forward in a more positive direction’ and they’re collaborating with us to make that happen.”

WaR board member Saranya Kundasamy agrees. “For years we were banging our heads against the wall trying to prove that sexism and sexual harassment exist in the workplace,” she said.

“There was a culture of silence. But last year the floodgates opened and employers couldn’t ignore us anymore. There has been a real shift.

“It is still happening, but people are realising that the cowboy culture in hospitality can’t continue, and that there are consequences, both legal and reputational.”

WaR is a member-based charity with an annual fee of $30 per person. Members have access to a supportive group chat, links to resources and events such as coaching sessions on asking for a pay rise. WaR is part of the All About Women event at Sydney Opera House on March 8, 2pm-9pm, and will be showcasing women winemakers.

Sydney hospitality group Odd Culture, which has outlets in Newtown and Woolloomooloo, pays for WaR memberships for all female and non-binary staff.

“We’ve been doing that for about a year now, but after the moment we had in our industry last year, everyone is trying to do better,” says Odd Culture chief executive James Thorpe.

“I like the idea of a community that supports people to stand up for themselves. Advocating for yourself is so important. It’s about having strong boundaries and knowing what’s acceptable. I came up in the industry 15 years ago, and I was taken advantage of in many ways, pay being one of them.”

Bucirde, who was recognised for her grassroots activism with an Instagram account that collected anecdotes on sexual harassment and assault, will soon move from Adelaide to Melbourne and wants Victorian decision-makers to get used to hearing from her. “I’m good at making noise and won’t go away until people listen,” she says.

Her targets include Liquor Control Victoria, where she’ll push for modules on sexual harassment and sexual violence to be included in responsible service of alcohol certification. “People who serve alcohol can train in recognising and responding to abuse, and learn how to be an active bystander,” she says. “It’s such a simple and cheap way to start shifting normalised behaviour.”

The aim is a continuing professionalisation of hospitality. “We are seeing good things, but there’s still a lot of mess,” says Bucirde. “How do we create a more robust industry that has truly reformed? No industry does it perfectly, but we should be looking at corporates and other workplaces to see who has enacted positive change.”