Australia’s screen creatives have today welcomed the passing of the  Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025  through Parliament. The legislation means streaming services are now included in the requirement to make a certain level of Australian content, via spending a percentage of their expenditure on new local drama, children’s, and documentary programs. Australian Writers’ Guild ( AWG ) and Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society ( AWGACS ) CEO  Claire Pullen  said, “This is a watershed moment for Australia’s screen industry. This will give our members and the entire creative community more certainty around their careers, and the industry here at home.” “Securing local content quotas is a significant step forward in levelling the playing field for streamers and broadcasters, and it acts as a strong reminder of what we’ve been continually told – that Australians want to see more Aussie content on their screens,” said Pullen. “We congratulate the Albanese Government, Arts Minister Tony Burke, Communications Minister Anika Wells and the many members of Parliament who’ve supported the campaign over the years on this achievement.” The Australian Writers’ Guild has worked alongside fellow screen industry guilds and members of the Make It Australian campaign for local content requirements for streaming video on demand services (SVODs) since September 2017. AWG President and Logie Award-winning showrunner  Peter Mattessi  said, “This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, and we thank the many writer members, our fellow creatives and industry leaders who’ve given of their time and expertise to advocate for our industry and for Australian stories over the last eight years.” “This legislation is the first step in building a stronger, more robust Australian screen industry. There’s more to do, but this is an exciting moment, and an opportunity to position Australian stories at the centre of national and international conversations,” said Mattessi. “As we head into 2026 and planning for a new National Cultural Policy, we are pleased to have this vital piece of Revive marked off the list so we can continue what we do best – telling great Australian stories.” AWGACS President  Sam Meikle  said, “The fight to preserve the vital place for Australian stories on Australian screens has been won. This is the first step in seeing more Australian stories, and guaranteeing career pathways for Australian screen workers – roundly known to be among the best in the world. We make great television. Now the world will get to see more of it, and Australian writers are ready to lead the charge.”

The AWG has welcomed Arts Minister Tony Burke’s announcement that new screen content requirements for streaming services will require major streaming services to make new Australian content. “Amid global uncertainty, the government has said it wants to ensure a future for Australian content,” said AWG CEO Claire Pullen . "Our members work in a volatile market where streaming platforms wield enormous power. There is a growing disparity between broadcast and streaming in terms of how they give back to the community and our local industry, even as streaming comes to dominate how we watch shows and films." AWG President and Logie Award-winning showrunner Peter Mattessi said, "World events move fast and impact our industry in many different ways. Meanwhile, streaming platforms are taking billions of dollars out of the country in subscription fees from Australians – Australians who tell us over and over again that they want to see more Australian content on their screens." "It has been a long road to get to this point and after lengthy conversations with Government, we are pleased to see our input incorporated into this model, and to see our nation once again require those who deliver screen content to invest in the importance of Australian storytellers telling Australian stories." Read the full statement HERE . What will screen content requirements for streaming services look like? The Government has stated that: "legislation to be introduced in Parliament will mandate streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers will need to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure for Australia – or 7.5 per cent of their revenue – on new local drama, children’s, documentary, arts and educational programs". Read the full announcement HERE .

In opening remarks to a Senate inquiry on Tuesday, Australian Writers’ Guild ( AWG ) and Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society ( AWGACS ) CEO Claire Pullen joined other creative leaders and Senators in criticising the Productivity Commission for failing to model the economic contribution of creative industries. Australia’s creative workers raised questions over the Productivity Commission’s Interim Report, including whether the Commission is fit to publish recommendations that include dismantling existing copyright protections when it has not undertaken detailed analysis of the copyright issues at play. Appearing before the Inquiry into the National Cultural Report, the Productivity Commission was  lambasted  by senators as turning their backs on Australia’s creative industries. Pressed on the impact a Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception might have on the creative economy, which brings in upwards of $90 billion or 2% of Australia’s GDP, the Commission admitted that no modelling was undertaken prior to the Interim Report being published. In her opening remarks to the Committee, Pullen pointed out the Guild had done more modelling than the Productivity Commission. “It is staggering that the Productivity Commission could dedicate so much of their time to pushing the unfounded benefits of AI and a TDM exception without a shred of evidence to back up its claims,” says Pullen. “How are we as creative industries or the Government, tasked with regulating AI, meant to respond to anything in the Interim Report when the basic question of how our industries will be impacted was not even considered?” says Pullen. In response to the lack of modelling provided by the Commission, the Australian Writers’ Guild commissioned modelling of their own, estimating that AI could see over $1.7 billion in lost wages and 2000 creative jobs slashed by 2035. Australian writers currently set in motion over $1 billion in economic activity. “We are deeply disappointed that the Productivity Commission appears not to take seriously the economic contribution of the creative industries to our economy,” says Pullen. As expressed in their submission, the AWG and AWGACS maintain that the starting position on AI has to be that tech companies are asked how they will rectify the copyright theft and moral rights infringements that have already taken place. “The Productivity Commission should be examining the cost to our economy of failing to enforce Australian law as creative jobs are destroyed,” says Pullen.

Australian creative workers and their royalty collecting societies expressed disappointment at the Productivity Commission’s advocacy for a text and data mining (TDM) exception, a move that would retroactively legalise the theft of Australia’s creative workers’ intellectual property, voices, images, and work, by foreign multi-nationals. The interim report “ Harnessing data and digital technology ” seeks feedback on a possible “TDM exception” to the Copyright Act , which creative workers say could devastate the local creative industries and legitimise the widespread flouting of Australian law that has already taken place. It is unclear if the Commission will go further in recommending that all Australians lose the right to own and protect their personal and private data, including their face and voice, to artificial intelligence (AI) models. Tech companies operating Large Language Models (LLMs) have conceded that AI models rely on copyrighted works that are taken without consent or payment, and Australian workers have already seen their works stolen, including some of Australia’s most iconic plays and books. At a Senate inquiry last year, big tech companies repeatedly dodged questions about the provenance of work used in their AI models, and faced sustained questioning about the use of Australian voices, books and films in their models. “We have already seen large-scale theft of intellectual property for commercial purposes at the expense of Australian workers”, said AWG and AWGACS CEO Claire Pullen . Pullen notes there is a particularly acute risk to First Nations works, and any proposed TDM exception would fly in the face of the Productivity Commission’s own recommendations on fake First Nations art. Publicly available generative AI tools can be made to generate counterfeits, without regard to cultural protocols, community consent, or remuneration. “Copyright has never been a barrier to producing good work, and in fact incentivises it, because it ensures I can pay the bills while creating popular shows,” said Peter Mattessi , AWG President. “It’s outrageous that this is even being considered, and it’s implied the onus will be on creators to test in court whether the use is ‘fair’ or not. It’s farcical to suggest any of us can afford to sue Google.” Mattessi is the co-creator and showrunner for Return to Paradise , which won Best Drama at the Logies this week. “I oversee the collection and distribution of millions in royalties to writers every year, millions writers earn because they own the rights to their work,” says Sam Meikle , AWGACS Chair, award-winning writer and co-showrunner of Wakefield . “It beggars belief that these tech companies can steal from Australian artists, endangering our jobs and our cultural sovereignty, and then have the Productivity Commission suggest they be rewarded for it. The lost productivity from all the stolen work is where the focus should be. The benefits of AI are speculative. The benefits of creative work are not.” “They could build AI models that fairly treat writers, artists, and musicians in Australia and around the world by paying for work. You don’t need an exception to do that. This feels like the Productivity Commission is carrying water for big tech at the expense of Australians.” “Our submission will make clear that any TDM exception is not acceptable to creative workers.” The AWG and AWGACS position is endorsed by the following industry guilds and collecting societies: Australian Cinematographers’ Society (ACS) Australian Directors’ Guild (ADG) Australian Screen Directors Authorship Collecting Society (ASDACS) Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG) Australian Production Design Guild (APDG) Australian Screen Editors’ Guild (ASE) and the Australian Association of Voice Actors (AAVA) representing cinematographers, screen directors, screen and live performance designers, screen composers, screen editors and voice actors.

The Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG) and Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society (AWGACS) have rejected the suggestion that a Text and Data Mining (TDM) Exception for the training of AI models be considered by the government, and expressed disappointment at the Productivity Commission’s interim report. The report “ Harnessing data and digital technology ” seeks feedback on a “TDM exception” to the Copyright Act, to allow ‘training’ of AI models on copyrighted works. Despite the interim report saying that such an exception would not be a blank cheque, writers are skeptical.   “The Productivity Commissioner has asked, ‘Are our laws fit for purpose with AI?’ but the real question is, why should we change our laws to make things easier for foreign big tech, instead of making things better for Australian workers, people who actually produce things in Australia?” said AWG and AWGACS CEO Claire Pullen.   “The Productivity Commission has conceded that large AI models have already been trained on copyrighted materials owned by Australians. It should be recommending tech companies follow Australian law and stop stealing from creative workers, who are responsible for an industry that contributes over $60 billion to our economy.”  Pullen notes there is a particularly acute risk to First Nations works, and any proposed TDM exception would fly in the face of the Productivity Commission’s own recommendations on fake First Nations art. Publicly available generative AI tools can be made to generate counterfeits, without regard to cultural protocols, community consent, or remuneration.   Tech companies operating Large Language Models (LLMs) have conceded that AI models rely on copyrighted works that are taken without consent or payment, and Australian workers have already seen their works stolen, including some of Australia’s most iconic plays and books. At a Senate inquiry last year, big tech companies repeatedly dodged questions about the provenance of work used in their AI models, and faced sustained questioning about the use of Australian voices, books and films in their models.  “It is disappointing to see a request for feedback about how things might be made easier for big tech, but nothing addressing the lost productivity and income for Australia and Australian creatives as a result of the infringement that has already taken place,” Pullen said. “It seems clear that the Productivity Commission favours weakening our existing laws.”

The Australian Writers’ Guild ( AWG ) and Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society ( AWGACS ) welcome the Attorney-General’s announcement that the Australian Government will maintain Australia’s strong copyright framework.   The Australian Writers’ Guild is the professional association for Australian screen and stage writers across film, television, theatre, audio and interactive media and has protected and promoted their creative and professional interests for more than 60 years.  Established in 1996, the Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society (AWGACS) is the not-for-profit collecting society for screenwriters. AWGACS collects and distributes international and domestic royalties for Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand writers.  AWG and AWGACS welcome the Attorney-General ruling out a Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception, a change that would have eroded Australia’s copyright laws and retroactively legitimised the theft of writers’ works by big tech. Big tech companies, led by the Tech Council of Australia’s Scott Farquhar, have been lobbying for weakening Australia’s copyright laws to allow the wholesale ingestion of Australian works for Artificial Intelligence (AI) without compensation or consent. The Attorney General has ruled out this change and pledged to work with creatives through the Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Reference Group (CAIRG).  “We applaud the Government making this announcement in the face of sustained pressure from big tech, particularly foreign-owned companies, who want to strip-mine our culture and content,” said Claire Pullen , AWG and AWGACS Group CEO. “This sends a message that our cultural and creative industries can be part of ethical AI development as partners, not subordinates – that Australian creators can negotiate terms, not be dictated to.”  In October, Pulle n gave evidence to a Senate inquiry for AWG and AWGACS that writers contribute $1 billion a year to Australia’s economy, a contribution that was at risk due to the behaviour of big tech companies.   “We applaud the Government for stating so clearly that there is no ambiguity in Australian law, and that Government stands behind Australian writers.” Pullen said.

Australian creative workers have strongly opposed any suggestion that Australia’s copyright laws should be weakened, calling on the government to first address the fundamental issue of copyright theft and the misuse of creative work at the core of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development. The Productivity Commission’s interim report “ Harnessing data and digital technology ” sought feedback on a possible “TDM exception” to the  Copyright Act , a move creative workers immediately   rejected , citing the irreparable damage it could cause to Australia’s billion-dollar creative industries and the proposal’s retrospective legalisation of the large-scale theft already committed by tech companies. “Tech companies operating Large Language Models (LLMs) have admitted that their AI models are built on the backs of copyrighted works that have been  taken  without consent or payment. It is unbelievable that the Productivity Commission can even be considering sweeping this under the rug in pursuit of unproven benefits touted by tech companies,” says Australian Writers’ Guild ( AWG ) and Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society ( AWGACS ) CEO Claire Pullen.   The joint submission addresses a raft of concerns neglected by the Productivity Commission, including the fundamental question of whether LLMs and AI technology actually work reliably, whether there is any evidence to suggest it will have the economic impact its proponents have claimed, the Productivity Commission’s failure to consult meaningfully with creative organisations and its resultant ignorance of the creative sector, as well as the contradiction of the Productivity Commission’s own 2022 recommendations regarding the protection of First Nations cultural assets and expressions. “The Productivity Commission has called for a light tough on regulation, and in doing so is falling directly in line with the global tech companies who seek to push aside Australian law and the rights of Australian workers in pursuit of cash-grabs for investors.” Pullen believes there is a clear way forward for the Government to balance the rights of creative workers and the growth of digital technologies.  “Australia’s existing copyright framework is a sound basis for the continued growth of Aussie content and intellectual property. If we want to fuel productivity in Australia we should be looking to licensing and royalty collection systems that empower creators to own and license their work, their likenesses and voice, rather than stripping away their rights,” says Pullen.    The submission recommends the introduction of AI regulation that: Requires AI developers to acquire consent from creative workers before their work or likeness is used to ‘train’ AI datasets, with an appropriate compensation model; and Implements a compensatory and rectification process for infringements that have already occurred, including the removal of work from models. In addition, they propose the government commit to: Standalone protections or updated copyright frameworks for First Nations cultural assets; A moral right of an artist against the use of their work for AI training by expanding Part IX of the  Copyright Act relating to the “Moral Rights of Performers and of Authors of Literary, Dramatic, Musical or Artistic Works and Cinematograph Films”; A no-cost jurisdiction available to creators to seek remedy where they believe their work has been infringed, where transparency is required and any failure to provide transparency results in a default judgement against the defendant AI company; and Standalone AI regulation consistent with Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) ‘mandatory guardrails for AI use in high-risk settings’. “Our position is clear – there can be no economic, cultural or scientific benefit to the nation until a process of transparency, consent and ongoing compensation is afforded to the creative workers who have made AI possible,” says Pullen. The  AWG  and  AWGACS  position is endorsed by the following industry guilds and collecting societies: Australian Cinematographers’ Society ( ACS ), Australian Directors’ Guild ( ADG ), Australian Screen Directors Authorship Collecting Society ( ASDACS ), Australian Guild of Screen Composers ( AGSC ), Australian Production Design Guild ( APDG ), Australian Screen Editors’ Guild ( ASE ), the Australian Screen Sound Guild ( ASSG ) and the Australian Association of Voice Actors ( AAVA ), representing cinematographers, directors, screen and live performance designers, screen composers, sound recorders, sound editors, sound mixers, screen editors and voice actors.

The Australian Writers' Guild invites you to celebrate the best of Australian storytelling by joining us for the 57th Annual AWGIE Awards on the evening of Thursday 13 February 2025 Tickets Student $70   BOOK HERE AWG Member $80   BOOK HERE General $120   BOOK HERE Meet the nominees  and be the first to congratulate the award-winning writers across stage, screen, audio and interactive categories. The event will be co-hosted by comedy superstars Alex Lee   and   Suren Jayemanne . Event Details Thursday 13 February Parade Theatre National Institute of Dramatic Art 215 Anzac Parade, Kensington, Sydney 6pm Drinks in the foyer 7pm Announcement and presentation of Awards 8:30pm-10:30pm Cocktail reception Dress Code Foyer-Fabulous Tickets Student $70   BOOK HERE AWG Member $80   BOOK HERE General $120   BOOK HERE See you at the AWGIES!