Performers, producers, writers, directors and crew are joining forces to campaign for the future of the screen industry. We want Australian stories told on Australian screens by us, to us, about us. We want to Make It Australian.
Stories have been told on this continent for thousands of generations. We want Australian stories told on Australian screens by us, to us, about us because no one else will tell stories of the diversity of Australian experiences in our unique Australian landscapes.
But story-telling on screen is at risk. Our capacity to make it Australian is at risk because:
the rules that ensure Australian stories appear on Australian screens must evolve so that streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Stan, ISPs and Telcos have obligations to promote and invest in original Australian content;
major supporters of Australian stories – Screen Australia and the ABC – have had their funding cut year after year; and
commercial TV broadcasters have had their quotas slashed, leading to sharp declines in investment in Australian drama and children’s programs.
The campaign references the successful “TV – Make it Australian” campaign of the 1960s and 1970s. In response to a parlous situation where only 1 per cent of drama on commercial networks was Australian – the other 99 per cent foreign – the industry sought local content obligations on commercial broadcasters. The Australian Film, Television and Radio School was also established out of the original campaign.
