Open letter to Paul Fletcher

We congratulate you Paul Fletcher on your appointment as the new Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts and express our willingness to work with you in partnership to build the Australian screen industry. We welcome your recent comments that streaming platforms should also support Australian stories. We agree.

We are the writers, producers, actors, directors, crews and creatives who bring our nation’s stories to the screen.

 But our ability to keep telling Australian stories on screen is at risk.

 It is time for Australian stories – drama, children’s, documentaries – to be supported across all platforms, including on digital media like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, Telstra TV, telcos and ISPs.

 To bring our stories to the world we need:

  • Updated content regulations to see new and diverse Australian stories on every platform

  • Guarantees that Australian children of all ages will be able to see stories about and for them

  • Updated incentives that attract the private investment that takes our stories to the world

  • Maintenance of the current local content rules for free-to-air television

  • Stable and adequate funding for public broadcasters and Screen Australia

 As the world changes, so will our stories. Our distinctive Australian storytelling will not survive without support. We need local content rules for the modern age. Our Aussie stories depend upon it.   

Signed:

Camilla Ah Kin, Actor; Gillian Armstrong, Director; Su Armstrong, Producer; Tony Ayres, Director; Simon Baker, Actor; Michala Banas, Actor; Tony Barry, Actor; Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Actor; Steve Bastoni, Actor; Nicholas Beauman ASE, Screen Editor; Dion Beebe ACS ASC, Cinematographer; Nicholas Bell, Actor; Amanda Bishop, Actor; Wayne Blair, Actor; Rachael Blake, Actor; Cate Blanchett AC, Actor; Russell Boyd ACS ASC, Cinematographer; Patrick Brammall, Actor; Shane Brennan, Screenwriter; Tony Briggs, Actor; Anna Broinowski, Director; Jonathan Brough, Director; Bryan Brown AM, Actor; Chris Brown, Producer; Simon Burke AO, Actor; Jason Burrows, Producer; Mitchell Butel, Actor; Robyn Butler, Actor; Rose Byrne, Actor; Annie Byron, Actor; Rob Carlton, Actor; Peter Carroll, Actor; Michael Caton, Actor; Penny Chapman, Producer; Shareena Clanton, Actor; Dustin Clare, Actor; Justine Clarke, Actor; Adelaide Clements, Actor; John Collee, Screenwriter; Toni Collette, Actor; Ian Collie, Producer; Robert Collins, Actor; Robert Connolly, Director; Dany Cooper ASE, Screen Editor; Michael Cordell, Producer; Wendy Cork APDG, Costume Designer; Rodger Corser, Actor Jai Courtney, Actor ; Deb Cox, Producer; Russell Crowe, Actor; Stephen Curry, Actor; Helen Dallimore, Actor; Henry Dangar ASE, Screen Editor; Essie Davis, Actor; Matt Day, Actor; Alexandre de Franceschi ASE, Screen Editor; Rolf De Heer, Director; Kate Dennis, Director; Jason Donovan, Actor; Terry Donovan, Actor; John Doyle, Screenwriter; Beverley Dunn, Set Decorator; Marta Dusseldorp, Actor; Harriet Dyer, Actor; Fiona Eagger, Producer; Joel Edgerton, Actor; John Edwards, Producer; Ben Elton, Screenwriter; Alexander England, Actor; Daniela Farinacci, Actor; Carl Fennessy, Producer; Mark Fennessy OAM, Producer; David Field, Actor; Angie Fielder, Producer; Jack Finsterer, Actor; Alan Fletcher, Actor; Roger Ford, Production Designer; Lucy Fry, Actor; Lizzy Gardiner, Costume Designer; Nadine Garner, Actor; Rebecca Gibney, Actor; Colin Gibson APDG, Production Designer; Antony I Ginnane, Producer; Rachel Gordon, Actor; Ian Gracie APDG, Supervising Art Director; Pippa Grandison, Actor; Gyton Grantley, Actor; Mac Gudgeon, Screenwriter; Don Hany, Actor; Anthony Hayes, Actor; Noni Hazlehurst AM, Actor; Chris Hemsworth, Actor; Liam Hemsworth, Actor; Damon Herriman, Actor; Scott Hicks, Director; Chris Hilton, Producer; PJ Hogan, Director; Frankie J Holden OAM, Actor; Nicholas Hope, Actor; Wayne Hope, Actor; Sacha Horler, Actor; Lachy Hulme, Actor; Peter James ACS ASC, Cinematographer; Tom Jeffrey AM, Producer; Veronika Jenet, Screen Editor; Ron Johanson OAM ACS, Cinematographer; Laura Jones, Screenwriter; David Jowsey, Producer; Claudia Karvan, Actor; Sean Keenan, Actor; Deborah Kennedy, Actor; Andrew Knight, Screenwriter; Samantha Lang, Director; Anthony LaPaglia, Actor; Michela Ledwidge, Director; David Lee, Sound Recordist; Steve Le Marquand, Actor; Jacinta Leong APDG, Art Director; Ewen Leslie, Actor; George Liddle APDG, Production Designer; Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor, Actor; Rob Mackenzie, Sound Editor; Deborah Mailman, Actor; Jessica Marais, Actor; Lex Marinos, Actor; Damian Martin, Prosthetic Makeup Artist; Catherine Martin APDG, Production Designer; Tony Martin, Actor; Don McAlpine ACS ASC, Cinematographer; Catherine McClements, Actor; Andrew McFarlane, Actor; Jacqueline McKenzie, Actor; Ray Meagher, Actor; Nick Meyers ASE, Screen Editor; Sue Milliken AO, Producer; Heather Mitchell, Actor; Jocelyn Moorhouse, Director; Kestie Morassi, Actor; Geoff Morrell, Actor; Kate Mulvany, Actor; Nick Murray, Producer; Igor Nay, Production Designer; Sam Neill, Actor; Robyn Nevin, Actor; Phil Noyce, Director; Chris Oliver-Taylor, Producer; Ben Osmo, Production Sound Mixer; Hunter Page-Lochard, Actor; Helen Panckhurst, Producer; Georgie Parker, Actor; Owen Paterson APDG, Production Designer; Craig Pearce, Screenwriter; Guy Pearce, Actor; Deborah Peart ASE, Screen Editor; Jen Peedom, Director; Rachel Perkins, Director; Jacquelin Perske, Screenwriter; Adrienne Pickering, Actor; Jo Porter, Producer; Susie Porter, Actor; Leah Purcell, Actor; Daina Reid, Director; Chloe Rickard, Producer; Deborah Riley, Production Designer; Brian Rosen, Producer; Richard Roxburgh, Actor; Bill Russo ASE, Screen Editor; Martin Sacks, Actor; Jan Sardi, Screenwriter; Fred Schepisi, Director; John Seale AM ACS ASC, Cinematographer; Dean Semler AM ACS ASC, Cinematographer; Emile Sherman, Producer; Greer Simpkin, Producer; Sarah Snook, Actor; Dan Spielman, Actor; Kriv Stenders, Director; Barbara Stephen, Producer; Kat Stewart, Actor; Yael Stone, Actor; Gary Sweet, Actor; Nadia Tass, Director; Michael Tear, Producer; Lisa Thompson, Set Decorator; Erik Thomson, Actor; Sigrid Thornton, Actor; Lesley Vanderwalt APDG, Hair and Makeup Designer; Matt Villa ASE, Screen Editor; Jeffrey Walker, Director; Mandy Walker ACS ASC, Cinematographer; Stephen Wallace, Director; Damian Walshe-Howling, Actor; Tasma Walton, Actor; Rachel Ward AM, Actor; Elka Wardega, Prosthetic Makeup Artist; Hugo Weaving, Actor; Peter Weir, Director; David Wenham, Actor; Jo Werner, Producer; David Williamson, Screenwriter; Margot Wilson APDG, Costume Designer; Rebel Wilson, Actor; Stephen Windon ASC ASC, Cinematographer; Ben Winspear, Actor; Dan Wyllie, Actor; Julia Zemiro, Actor.

With support from Australian Directors’ Guild, Australian Writers’ Guild, Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, Screen Producers Australia, Australian Production Design Guild, Australian Screen Editors, Australian Guild of Screen Composers, Australian Screen Sound Guild, Women in Film and Television, Visual Effects Society

Download a PDF of the open letter here.