Featured Campaigns

 

Artificial Intelligence and the Creative Sector
The Australian Writers’ Guild has taken a firm stand against the unregulated use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Australia’s creative industries, issuing a position paper outlining the imminent threat posed by AI and an extensive framework for the appropriate regulation of its use to protect workers and audiences.

The paper puts forward a comprehensive framework for the appropriate regulation of AI, covering authorial control, fair remuneration, protection of moral rights, First Nations cultural assets, classification, player opt in, and gambling and in-app purchases for video games. Read the full paper here.

Submissions related to the use of Artificial Intelligence: 
Regulation of Streaming Services
The Australian Writers' Guild has made multiple submissions to government on the regulation of SVOD and AVOD services. 
 
National Cultural Policy
The Australian Writers' Guild welcomes the announcement of the National Cultural Policy. The policy is intended to be a comprehensive roadmap to guide the skills and resources required to transform and safeguard a diverse, vibrant and sustainable Australian arts sector now and into the future.   

Submissions related to the National Cultural Policy: 
Digital Games Tax Offset
In 2022, the AWG called for more pathways to career and project development, to ensure that smaller games studios are appropriately supported and equipped to deliver important stories.  
 
Make It Australian Campaign
Following calls from commercial broadcasters to abolish quotas for children’s content and drastically reduce quotas for scripted drama, the Australian Writers’ Guild are currently involved in the Make It Australian campaign, a joint effort by the AWG, SPA, ADG, MEAA and other industry guilds. The campaign is also pushing for:
  • reform of local content rules to include the burgeoning digital platforms, including streaming video on demand;
  • the restoration of funding to public broadcasters and Screen Australia, who commission a significant proportion of local comedy and drama; and
  • the modernisation of our production incentives to make them globally competitive at all levels.
The campaign was launched on 18 September 2017 through a National Day of Action with events being held in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Perth and Brisbane.
Find out more about the campaign and get involved here.
 
Past Campaigns
2016 – National Arts Debate 
Australian playwrights and screenwriters will put some of the country’s political leaders under the spotlight at a special national debate on arts funding on 8 June 2016 in the run-up to the Federal Election.  Members of the Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG) will join professionals from across the nation’s arts, screen and culture sectors at a National Arts Debate at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne organised by ArtsPeak, a federation of national peak arts organisations.
 
2016 – Productivity Commission Public Inquiry into  Australia’s Intellectual Property Arrangements
 
2015 – Federal Budget cuts to the Arts
 
2015 – The Audio Visual Campaign
Writers and Directors Worldwide (WDW) launched a worldwide campaign under the hashtag #TheAudiovisualCampaign that aimed to create awareness and encourage changes in law that to result in a fairer share of income for content creators from films and TV programs. 

2015 – Collecting Your Royalties
 
2013 – Australian Content
In 2013 the AWG along with the ADG, MEAA and SPAA launched the ‘Australian Screens. Australian Stories.’ campaign to hold the government to account on the findings of its own Convergence Review. We are still fighting the battle for Australian content on Australian screens. 
2010 - AWG Theatre Petition 2010
 
2010 - AWG Petition to the Australia Council