Members are also elected to State and Territory Committees that meet on a regular basis to network, support each other, develop their craft and have a lot of fun in the process!
Our local committee regular events are listed on our Events page. If you need more information or would like to contact our committee Chairs please email us at admin@awg.com.au.
NSW Committee
Write Night hosts monthly events which inspire, entertain and challenge writers. We organise panels, Q&As, masterclasses, speed-pitching evenings and competitions, not to mention ending the year with our legendary Christmas party! We’re committed to connecting writers to other writers – regardless of experience, genre and format.
Being a writer doesn’t have to be a solo occupation – please like our Write Night Facebook page to stay updated.
Chair
Jack BrisleeNSW
QLD Committee
The QLD Committee works closely with practitioners and the industry in Queensland to promote screen and stage writing and writers.
Chair
Shayne ArmstrongQLD
Shayne Armstrong is an award-winning Australian film and TV screenwriter specialising in horror, thriller and science-fiction. As one half of the Armstrong & Krause screenwriting partnership (with SP Krause), his credits include the feature films Acolytes and Bait 3D, telemovies Johnny Bravo Goes to Bollywood and Exchange Student Zero, and the children’s TV sci-fi series and Doctor Who spin-off K-9. Along with his writing partner, Shayne is a two-time winner of the AWG John Hinde Award For Excellence In Science-Fiction and their sci-fi short script Rarer Monsters won Best Short Film Script Award at the 2013 AWGIES. Shayne is a script consultant and a writer and creative consultant for Disney X-D (UK/Europe and US) and Cartoon Network (Asia-Pacific). He is also a lecturer and tutor of screenwriting at University of Queensland and the New York Film Academy (Gold Coast). He has a Master of Arts in Screenwriting from QUT, Brisbane.
SA Committee
The AWG South Australian committee represents the interests of local writers in film, television and theatre. The committee meets regularly with industry bodies such as the South Australian Film Corporation to promote writers’ opportunities and conditions. The committee offers development and networking opportunities at various events throughout the year.
Chair
Pete MonaghanSA
VIC Committee
The Victorian branch of the Australian Writers’ Guild is a dynamic community of emerging and established writers. Every month we host industry-based events, from panel discussions, guest speakers, staged readings to craft-focused sessions. These events create the opportunity for writers of all levels to get together, compare notes and make new friends. Our final meeting of the year is a big Christmas party full of fun, drinks, trivia contests and all things writerly.
We also host yearly workshops for members as well as convene events in association with Melbourne International Film Festival and the St Kilda Film Festival. Check out our upcoming events on our Facebook Group.
Chair
Shanti GudgeonVice President
Shanti Gudgeon has written for Foxtel comedy/drama series SLiDE for Playmaker Media, Conspiracy 365 for Circa Films, Dance Academy for Werner Productions and ABC3, Trip for Biscuits for ABC3, and Nowhere Boys for Matchbox Pictures and ABC3. Nowhere Boys won the AACTA Award for Best Children’s Series and the LOGIE Award for Best Children’s Series, while Trip for Biscuits has been nominated for an SPA Award for Best Children’s Television Productions. Most recently, Shanti wrote for the second season of Wolf Creek. Shanti’s screenplay, Scratches + Cuts, was selected for Film Victoria’s New Feature Writers Scheme and it was also nominated for an IF Award for best unproduced feature screenplay. Her feature script, Under The Black Flag, was selected by the Producer’s Guild of America for their International Co-Production Showcase. Shanti in development on the feature All I Know of the Devil, supported through Screen Australia.
WA Committee
The WA Committee works closely with practitioners, industry and Screenwest to promote screen and stage writing and writers in WA.
Chair
Aaron McCannWA
Aaron McCann is an Irish born, Australian raised, writer and director (and sometimes a 1st AD, and occasionally an actor) who is currently based in Western Australia. He rose to international success in 2012 with his short film Perished, which he co-wrote with Stefan Radanovich and premiered at SXSW, and his webseries and online shorts Henry & Aaron’s 7 Steps to Superstardom, It’s A Snap! and Set Yourself Free, which collectively gained over 24 Million Views online and were co-written with Henry Inglis between 2012 and 2014. Since then, he has co-written and co-directed the feature films Top Knot Detective (2017) and Koko: A Red Dog Story (2019) with Dominic Pearce and also written for the ABC/Matchbox Series The Heights. Along with Pearce, he has been a semi-finalist in the Academy Nicholls Fellowship (2018) and has won the Script Pipeline First Look Screenplay Completion (2018) for their screenplay Big Red. Aaron continues to work as a writer and director and is a member of the AWG, ADG and the Professional Film Crew WA.
Games & Interactive Advisory Committee (GIAC)
The Australian Writers’ Guild has a committee to support writers working in interactive media. The Games & Interactive Advisory Committee (GIAC) is dedicated to establishing the priorities of one of Australia’s fastest-growing creative industries. The committee draws its membership from across the sector.
Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC)
The AWG Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC) has been set up to consult with and advise the Guild on all aspects of AWG’s Diversity Program. The Committee is made up of members of the Australian Film, Television and Stage industry, who bring with them a wealth of talent, experience and expertise in screen and stage writing, and an understanding of how programs and initiatives may be created and improved to help promote diversity and inclusion in the industry. In consultation with the Committee, the AWG’s Diversity Program has been set up, and is committed to a series of partnerships, opportunities and events aimed at fostering inclusion and equal opportunity in the industry. More information about DIAC can be found here.