The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) welcomes the establishment of Creative Australia, a new arts investment and advisory body that expands the functions and funding of the Australia Council.
The Creative Australia Bill 2023 introduced before Parliament today establishes two new bodies to improve conditions and safety standards in the arts and entertainment industries and invest in the development, production and promotion of Australian music.
Resulting from the nation’s first consolidated cultural policy in a decade, the new entities under the umbrella of Creative Australia are Music Australia and Creative Workplaces.
MEAA CEO Erin Madeley said this legislation is the result of considerable thought and consultation led by Arts Minister Tony Burke. “We continue to be impressed by this government’s genuine commitment to engaging with the arts sector in a meaningful way and creating policy that will have a real impact on the lives and livelihoods of our members,”
Ms Madeley said MEAA looks forward to working closely with the government during the roll out of both organisations to ensure the urgent needs and interests of creative workers are met.
“It is a refreshing change to have a government that recognises that cultural and creative work is a professional activity that must be underpinned by enforceable fair pay and conditions, including safe and inclusive workplaces.” Ms Madeley said.
Future legislation will embed a First Nations led body within Creative Australia and also establish Writer’s Australia.
“We can’t undo a decade of neglect by the former government overnight, but the new Creative Australia framework is an important milestone in delivering confidence to arts workers that they are valued and respected by the Albanese government and the community,” Ms Madeley said.
Next, MEAA looks forward to working with the government to bed down the requirements for Australian screen content on streaming platforms to ensure continued access to local stories.
Once in place, these new content requirements will deliver a big boost to investment in Australian made productions, in turn creating thousands more jobs and opportunities for our world-class performers and crew.
