66-469: Writers Guild may refer to: Australian Writers' Guild New Zealand Writers Guild Writers Guild of America Writers Guild of America, East Writers Guild of America, West Writers Guild of Canada Writers' Guild of Great Britain Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
132-446: A A$ 25,000 grant to performance artist Casey Jenkins for a piece titled Immaculate , incorporating a live stream of Jenkins self-inseminating . Following adverse media coverage, the council suspended the funding hours before the first performance on 19 August, and formally rescinded the grant on 21 September 2020. The council stated that the withdrawal of the grant was not due to negative media coverage, but followed legal advice about
198-407: A Lifetime membership of which 28 members currently hold. This is obtained over years of industry successes both in production and accolades. Pathways is an AWG program developed by members for its members that showcases exemplar scripts in order to gain exposure to industry professionals in their respective fields. This gateway program enables members to have their works published and produced within
264-470: A bequest left by him. Intended to encourage and reward creativity in science-fiction writing for feature film , television, web series, and interactive media, the award is worth $ 10,000 for the best produced script, as well as professional support for the best unproduced script. They were awarded from 2008, and in the past have been awarded as (or considered) part of the AWGIE awards, but they are advertised as
330-452: A published or produced performance piece to their name. In order to qualify, the piece must be over 50 minutes long except a Television episode can be up to 45 minutes in length. The benefits of this membership include access to model contracts, recommended rates in the industries, industrial advice, networking opportunities, entry to AWG competitions, access to professional development seminars, Opportunities to Pathways and discounted prices on
396-402: A separate award, and winners announced separately. Winners have included: The Monte Miller Awards, open to AWG members, recognise excellence in screenwriting and playwriting. The inaugural award was given to Peter Scott for Rally Round in 1972. It was not awarded between 1976 and 1979. Until 2007 there was just one Monte Miller Award, but from 2008 there have been two separate awards. In
462-504: A standard contract that saw for writers enforced rights and fair pay. Interim Industrial Officer Roger Simpson was responsible for overseeing this aspect of the Guilds work. David Wilson overtakes Peters as the president of the guild. 1980 saw the strike against Channel 9's pay towards its writers to be one of the Guilds longest and most successful campaigns. This resulted in the network paying its workers A$ 250 per hour of script as opposed to
528-647: A wide range of categories, such as feature film, television drama, and various theatre awards, as well as a number of special named awards, such as the David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre , Dorothy Crawford Award, Hector Crawford Award, and David Parsons Award. The John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing is named in honour of film critic John Hinde (1911–2006), and funded by
594-526: A year for four years from Australia Council arts funding, a third of its arts funding, receiving significant criticism from the arts community. The money was reallocated to a new program, the National Program for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA). NPEA in turn was criticised by many artists and arts organisations for lacking the "arms-length" funding principles that had applied to the relationship between
660-733: Is "accountable to the Australian Parliament , and to the Government through the Minister for the Arts ". Adrian Collette AM became CEO of the Australia Council in January 2019 and remains in the position as CEO of Creative Australia as of October 2023 . He was formerly chief executive of Opera Australia . Sam Walsh AO was appointed chair of the Australia Council in 2016. In July 2021, Robert Morgan
726-684: Is an essential aspect of the Guild as they dictate the leadership, action and fund distribution of the association. Shane Brennan, an Australian writer and producer, was elected president of the National Executive Committee in 2019. As of 2019, The Australian Writers Guild is supported financially by the Australian Film Commission , Screen Australia , Scripted Ink, Film Finance Corporation Australia , Screenwest , Screen NSW , Screenrights, Media Super, and
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#1732765140382792-467: Is eligible for any student enrolled in a part or full-time course in performance writing. The benefits of this membership are intended to aid in the development of the student's study. The package includes access to agreements and industry rates, accesses to standard industry agreements, invitations to industry and committee events, professional resource access, AWG script registration and assessment services among other elements. Each membership can lead into
858-697: Is exemplified through AWG's work as a political voice through lobbying the Australian Government on issues such as funding and copyright protection in order to protect Australian content. The AWG is a member of the Australian Council of Trade Unions . The AWG is a democratically run association, run by the members of the guild. Each year, the members elect the National Executive Council alongside Branch Committees that represent each Australian state. Membership
924-497: Is headed by Victorian human rights lawyer and commissioner Kate Jenkins . The Music Australia Council was appointed in August 2023, consisting of eight members: The First Nations Arts came into being in August 2024. It will be funded up to A$ 52 million from 2024 to 2025. Its function is "to support and promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts practice, enhance sustainable career pathways for young First Nations people in
990-401: Is held event is held on 27 May each year, on the anniversary of the 1967 referendum . At the event, Indigenous Australians who have been awarded Fellowships (in 2018–2019, Vernon Ah Kee for visual art, and Ali Cobby Eckermann , for literature), and First Nations artists who received Australia Council Awards earlier in the year are also celebrated. In May 2020 the Australia Council awarded
1056-578: Is later appointed as the first executive officer, in this role she was in close discussion with the AFC. As the 1990s came in turn, the AWG had grown to have approximately 850 members and a similar amount of associates. With offices in Sydney and Melbourne and chapters in every other state, the guild had established itself as a powerful force within the performative writing world, standing firmly for workers writers in
1122-650: Is the professional association for Australian performance writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video, and new media . The AWG was established in 1962, and has conferred the AWGIE Awards since 1968, the Monte Miller Awards since 1972, and the John Hinde Award since 2008. The Australian Writers' Guild has been representing Australian screenwriters, playwrights, radio writers, comedy writers and digital media writers since 1962. It
1188-702: Is the final piece of legislation in establishing all the functions of Creative Australia under the National Cultural Policy, Revive . The First Nations Board members were announced in September 2024. The Act also establishes Writing Australia, due to commence on 1 July 2025. Creative Australia is the Australian Government's principal arts funding and advisory body. Its purpose is to promote and invest in Australian arts. It
1254-599: The Aboriginal Publications Foundation (APF), leading to some duplication of work by the two bodies. From mid-1975, promotional work carried out by the APF was put under the control of the AAB, while the APF became a referral body for the AAB. The APF was wound down, with its main responsibility the publication of the quarterly journal Identity until its closure in 1982. The Australia Council became
1320-712: The Australia Council Act 2013 (the Act) commenced on 1 July 2013. In early 2014 federal Arts Minister George Brandis and Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull told artists at the Sydney Biennale that they were ungrateful and selfish to protest about the role of Transfield in the Nauru immigration detention centre . In December 2014, Brandis withdrew a large portion of literature funding from Australia Council. In May 2015, Brandis cut $ 26 million
1386-516: The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust as the council did not yet have its own financial apparatus. Gorton stated that the council "had adopted a principle widely accepted [...] that high standards can best be achieved by a concentration of available funds, rather than by a thin spread over a wide area". The council subsequently received criticism from smaller professional and semi-professional companies, leading to
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#17327651403821452-512: The Government of Australia . The council was announced in 1967 as the Australian Council for the Arts , with the first members appointed the following year. It was made a statutory corporation by the passage of the Australia Council Act 1975 . It became the Australia Council in 2013, and then Creative Australia, with a new organisational structure, from 24 August 2023. The organisation has included several boards within its structure over
1518-737: The South Australian Film Corporation . The AWG also receives assistance from the Literature Fund of the Australia Council . The Guild was founded in March 1962 when a group of 17 radio writers met at the Australia Hotel in Sydney and decided to form a guild to represent their professional interests. It was originally called The Australian Radio, Television and Screenwriters' Guild. Founded on
1584-715: The Whitlam government , it was renamed to Australia Council. The Council then incorporated other government projects, such as the Commonwealth Literary Fund and the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board . The Visual Arts Board (VAB) existed during the 1970s and mid-1980s. The Visual Arts/Craft Board was renamed the Visual Arts Board around 2007–8. The Council's operations were independently reviewed in 2012, and
1650-613: The A$ 60 originally being received. The strike lasted six months, from November 1980 to March 1981. Throughout the 1980s, Australian performance industries were suffering from funding cuts. Tax concessions were the major focus of the Guild. Wilson sought for further government funding to help greater support the local film and television industries, offering that five out of the seven production projects taking place in Australia should be Australian written. Wilson signed off on this notion with
1716-577: The ABC's treatment of its creators. The ABC eventually found an agreement to the Guild's terms of worker equity and signed off on the standard contract by the early 70s. Lance Peters was the Guild's president at the turn of the decade. He initiated a library of professional scripts available for guild members. His leadership brought in the inclusion of legal advisors to assist with safeguard copywriter and contract negotiation. Victorian Guild members began lobbying for further autonomy in their own ran programs through
1782-642: The ASA, and the Copyright Council". Later 1973 saw the guild join the Film Action Committee in order to raise media attention against visiting Jack Valenti in the US due to his ideology towards copyright. Through to 1979, the Guild was heavily influential in the fight for performance workers rights. Australian production houses were delaying their signing of an Industry-Wide agreement to produce
1848-508: The AWG acts as the national voice of performance writers, seeking federal and state support to recognise performance writing within the Australian culture of storytelling. 2020 saw the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia within the AWG. The Guild worked in conjunction with Screen Australia to monitor the screen industries response to the unprecedented upheaval of the times. According to MediaWeek , one million Australian dollars
1914-528: The AWG's involvement in "political and industrial issues such as moral rights and copyright protection, censorship, taxation and broadcasting legislation". 1972, the tenth anniversary of the AWG's founding and Peters utilized this milestone to broaden the Guilds affiliations with "the Australian film commission, the Playwrights' Conference, the "Make it Australian" Committee, the Children's Film Council,
1980-584: The AWG. This threatened the Guilds status as a Trade Union in NSW, so the association was split into fully operative state branches as determined at the annual Federal Conference involving all members. Peters thus began to lobby against networks threatening the workers' rights of many performance writers. Emerging from this came the "Make it Australian" campaign, in which other writing industry guilds united in support of keeping performative media in Australia amongst Australian creators. Peters's involvement here truly marked
2046-482: The Australian Writers Guild is reliant on the membership structure of the association. There are a variety of tears of membership, and the accompanying fee paid by each member enables the Guild to create opportunities for its affiliates. The levels of membership are put in place to help differentiate the capabilities of each member within their field. Full membership entails that the affiliate has
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2112-481: The Australian industry, essentially jump-starting networking opportunities and careers. Founded in 2010, the Pathways showcase has enabled Australian writers to gain exposure. Over 30 Australian projects have been funded by Scripted Ink. for further script development and even production. Scripts by guild members are showcased on the website. This is essentially free exposure for writers. Pathways Prime consists of
2178-577: The Australian literature sector and develop further markets and audiences", at home and internationally. It will increase opportunities for writers and other creatives in literature, and establish a poet laureate for Australia. ACCELERATE was a leadership program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the creative arts , run jointly by the British Council and Australia Council, in partnership with state arts agencies, between 2009 and 2016. During that time, 35 people participated in
2244-486: The Centre for Art and Entertainment Workplaces, as mentioned in the National Cultural Policy – Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place , created 30 January 2023) were created. The Music Australia Council was appointed by Arts Minister Tony Burke in August 2023, consisting of eight members. The new legislation establishing this division came into effect on 24 August 2023. The Creative Workplaces Council
2310-544: The areas of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts; community arts and cultural development; dance; emerging and experimental arts; literature; music; theatre; and visual arts . The annual National Indigenous Arts Awards ( NIAA ) were established by the Australia Council in 2007. Renamed as the First Nations Arts Awards in 2020, as of 2022 they include four categories, all restricted to Australian First Nations artists: The awards ceremony
2376-478: The arts, and increase opportunities to grow First Nations audiences". It is overseen by the First Nations Board, with the first board commencing their term on 9 September. Each member serves a four-year term. The inaugural board consists of: Writing Australia is due to commence operations on 1 July 2025. It will receive over A$ 26 million in funding over three years from 2025 to 2026 "to strengthen
2442-430: The arts. Later that year, the council produced a report recommending that it be established as a statutory corporation. The Aboriginal Arts Board ( AAB ) was created in 1973. Comprising Aboriginal Australian artists, writers and performers, its purpose was "to stimulate Indigenous Australian arts and lead to the preservation of many art forms almost lost since the settlement of Australia by Europeans". Dick Roughsey
2508-543: The biggest consumer of Aboriginal art , as there was not much interest in it during those years. Works were bought directly from artists, and often sent to galleries in the US and Canada. The Board was later renamed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board or ATSIA Board, and is as of July 2021 the ATSIA Panel. After being given statutory authority in March 1975 by the Australia Council Act under
2574-539: The entity itself and all reserved rights. Members stood against this cementing the Guilds power within the industry. The dispute was appropriately managed and the writer was appropriately paid. This became the Guild's first successful case in fighting for creators rights. In 1967 Guild established the AWGIE Awards, with the first event held in 1968. These were presented to performance writers who demonstrated exceptional work within their respective fields. Created by
2640-433: The establishment of an Arts Special Projects Fund to assist smaller organisations. In December 1969, Coombs announced a new formula for grants whereby organisations could only receive a maximum of two-thirds of their budget from the council. In February 1973, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam announced a new structure for the council whereby funding recommendations would be made by seven autonomous boards for different areas of
2706-553: The film, television, radio and theatre industries across Australia. 1996 saw the guilds first real push for involvement in the Theatre industry in Australia. Negotiating the Theatre Industry Agreement, writers received minimum rates and commissioning rights for each piece crafted for the stage. This also involved that writers would share in box office receipts, 10% to each ticket sold, one of the highest rates in
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2772-683: The first ten members of the council, which was initially known as the Australian Council for the Arts . Economist H. C. Coombs became the first chairman of the body, while the other members included radio quizmaster Barry Jones , school principal Betty Archdale , magazine editor and state Liberal MP Peter Coleman , socialite Virginia Erwin (wife of federal Liberal MP Dudley Erwin ), architect Karl Langer , author Geoffrey Dutton , theatre producer Jeana Bradley , arts patron Mary Houghton, and retired academic Kay Masterman . The council issued its first grants in December 1968, which were distributed via
2838-489: The government and Australia Council since its inception in the 1970s. These principles have traditionally had bipartisan support. Brandis was criticised previously for giving Melbourne classical music record label Melba Recordings a $ 275,000 grant outside of the usual funding and peer-assessment processes. Brandis's changes to funding arrangements, including the quarantining of the amount received by Australia's 28 major performing arts companies, were widely seen to disadvantage
2904-505: The guild partnered with The Sun-Herald and The Sydney Morning Herald to organize the What Matters? writing competition. In 2009, the guild quit Australian Screen Council (established in 2005 ) over a financial disagreement. For many years, the executive director of the organisation has been Jacqueline Woodman (now Jacqueline Elaine). In January 2019 Shane Brennan replaced Jan Sardi as president. The initiatives and
2970-478: The industry, notably Actors' Equity and the Musicians' Union. 1963 saw the AWG's first industrial dispute over an Australian network offering an unacceptable amount for a script written by Eleanor Witcombe . To quote Gillian Armstrong , a major Australian film director, 'Eleanor was not a self-promoter. She was proud and passionate and dedicated, and truly a great writer'. The Guild's deal encompassed both
3036-572: The industry-standard software among other elements. Associated Membership eligibility is available for non published writers. These are the emerging writers that are looking for opportunity and networking in order to become a part of the writing community. This package includes stand access to agreements of co-writing and employment contracts, eligibility in writing competitions, access to industry events, professional resources, Pathways opportunities, AWG registration and assessment and discounted final draft software among other elements. Student membership
3102-515: The members, these awards aim to recognise and reward excellence in an extensive list of categories. By 1968, the Guild was in negotiations with the ABC tackling performative writers rights once again. At this time, fees for scripts were at an extraordinary low. As a result of this, the AWG united with the Council of the Society of Authors and Actors' Equity in an attempt to resolve tensions between
3168-624: The notions of misrepresentation within Australian society, exceptional underfunding and poor professional treatment, the AWG aimed to aid in these areas. The early 60s also saw an influx of imported media from predominantly the United States and England to Australian Television. This left minimal room for the local market and severely impacted the state of the Australian Media industry. A pivotal moment in societal advancement in switching from predominantly focused radio entertainment to
3234-534: The past, they have been awarded as part of the AWGIE Awards, but in recent years have been announced at a separate event. Two awards are given annually, both for un-produced scripts, in the categories Long Form (over 30 minutes) and Short Form (under 30 minutes), across all genres and formats. The award-winners are announced at a dedicated industry event in Melbourne in May; entries open in March. The function of
3300-469: The program, with many alumni going on to excel in their fields. The Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy (VACS), a partnership between the federal and all state and territory governments in Australia, was established in 2003, with the aim of "providing stability to Australia's visual arts and craft sector". VACS delivers funding across all jurisdictions, with half provided by the Commonwealth and half by
3366-402: The services of the AWG service the individual members of the Guild while aiming to enhance the Australian performative writing industry as a whole. Applying the mission statement, seeing, "Performance writing and performance writers thrive as a dynamic and integral part of Australian storytelling; shaping, reflecting and enhancing Australia's cultural voice in all its diversity". In many instances,
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#17327651403823432-600: The small-to-medium arts sector and independent artists. Following Malcolm Turnbull 's successful spill of the leadership of the Liberal party in September 2015, Brandis was replaced as arts minister by Mitch Fifield . In November Fifield gave back $ 8 million a year for four years to Australia Council, changed the NPEA to the Catalyst Fund , and stressed it would have a focus on smaller arts projects. The arts community
3498-674: The states and territories. Its current policy framework runs from 2021 to 2024, continuing under the rebranded Creative Australia. The Australia Council Awards were established in or before 1981, with the numbers of awards awarded each year growing over time. As of 2021 there were eight categories for achievement in various types of arts, called: Australia Council Fellowships , worth A$ 80,000 , "support creative activity and career development for mid-career and established artists". Past fellowship holders include: Hetti Perkins (2018), Lisa Maza (2017), Vicki Couzens (2016), Brenda L Croft (2015) and Reko Rennie (2015). They are awarded in
3564-732: The support of other unions to increase the appeal of local creators strengthening the local industry. Approaching the end of the 1980s, the Australian Film Committee was in close contact with the Guild, strengthening the claims and actions taken by its members. United, the unions continued to campaign against low residual fees in performative writing contracts. 1988 saw the appointment of New Guild president Geoffrey Atherden , A Sydney University graduate infamous in his comedic screenwriting (particularly for his co-writing credits in The Aunty Jack Show ). Angela Wales
3630-497: The television, the founders of the guild were determined to ensure Australia was not left behind. The first interim committee comprised Don Houghton, Richard Lane , Ric Aspinall, Kay Keaveney and Lyle Martin. Nearing the end of 1962, the Australian Writers Guild was officially registered as a Trade Union in New South Wales. This was seen as important because it provided recognition and support from other trade unions within
3696-512: The title Writers Guild . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Writers_Guild&oldid=1090466828 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Australian Writers%27 Guild The Australian Writers' Guild ( AWG )
3762-485: The works of some of Australia's most successful screenwriters inclusive of Keith Thompson's The Sapphires , Sam Caroll's H 2 O: Just Add Water and McLeod's Daughters , and Sarah Smith's The Killing Field , among many other successful writers. Australia Council Creative Australia , formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council , is the country's official arts council , serving as an arts funding and advisory body for
3828-454: The world. Late 1990s, between 1997 and 1999, AWG lobbied to ensure legislation encompassing moral rights and copyright rights for Australian creators. The Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000 was passed in December 2000. This protected Australian writers intellectual property and furthered the ramifications for breaking authorship integrity and workplace morality. The guild was heavily involved in this essential legislation. In 2004,
3894-627: The years, including more than one incarnation of a Visual Arts Board ( VAB ), in the 1970s–80s and in the early 2000s. Prime Minister Harold Holt announced the establishment of a national arts council in November 1967, modelled on similar bodies in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was one of his last major policy announcements prior to his death the following month. In June 1968, Holt's successor John Gorton announced
3960-563: Was amended by the Australia Council Amendment (Creative Australia) Act 2023 , by which instrument the new name and organisational structure was created on 24 August 2023, described as "an expanded and modernised Australia Council". The number of board members was doubled from 12 to 24, but it continues to be known as the Australia Council Board. Councils for Music Australia and Creative Workplaces (for
4026-662: Was announced on 11 August 2023 and commenced in their roles on Thursday 24 August 2023. Still to follow (not included in the 2023 legislation) are the First Nations-led Board and Writers Australia, as outlined in the National Cultural Policy and the "Corporate Plan 2023–27". In July 2024, the Creative Australia Amendment (Implementation of Revive) Act 2024 created First Nations Arts and Writing Australia, which would be on equal footing with Creative Workplaces and Music Australia. This
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#17327651403824092-629: Was appointed chair. Morgan has a degree in economics , and had been head of Australia's largest advertising and marketing business, Clemenger Group, but is also passionate about the arts, and was a member of the board of Opera Australia for over 10 years. Since 24 August 2023 and as of October 2023 , Robert Morgan is the chair and Wesley Enoch AM deputy chair of Creative Australia. Creative Workplaces aims to enable fair, safe, and respectful workplaces for artists, art workers, and arts organisations It provides information and resources about pay and workplace safety. The Creative Workplaces council
4158-451: Was created for writers by writers, with the council consisting of members within their respective performative industries. It aims to promote the Australian cultural voice within the arts. The guild recognises through their mission statement that performance writing and performance writers "thrive as a dynamic and integral part of Australian storytelling, shaping, reflecting and enhancing the Australian cultural voice in all its diversity." This
4224-465: Was donated by Netflix to support the launch of the COVID-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund in order to best support production shutdowns in Australia. AWG was as of June 2020 enabling the distribution of these funds to the hardest-hit workers. Since 1968, the AWG has conferred the AWGIE Awards for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The AWGIE Awards include awards in
4290-584: Was not impressed by the changes. As a result of the reduced funding, Australia Council cancelled project funding rounds for small groups and individuals in 2015 and then cut funding to over 60 arts organisations across the country in May 2016. Small arts organisations such as the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia (CACSA), Leigh Warren & Dancers and many others were affected, forcing them to contract, merge or make drastic changes to their programs. The Australia Council Act 2013
4356-495: Was the inaugural head of the board, followed by Yolngu artist and activist Wandjuk Marika . One of its earliest activities was the hosting of a seminar called Aboriginal Arts in Australia at the Australian National University , with around 800 attendees, with the intention of working out how government could best support Aboriginal culture and art in the future. When created, AAB had similar aims as
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