As the professional association for Australia’s performance writers, the Australian Writers’ Guild provides our members with extensive industrial support but also work to improve our screen and theatre industries as a whole and in doing so play our part in promoting Australia’s cultural voice.
We work with members to ensure that performance writers get the pay and conditions they deserve. Our members come together to work for and represent their fellow writers across the industry in a number of committees such as the Feature Film, Children’s Television and Playwrights committees. On behalf of our members we establish recommended minimum rates and conditions for writers. We provide model contracts for series and serials, children’s television, theatre and feature film. The AWG gives writers an active political voice by lobbying for the improved status of writers; for industry development and for the protection of writers’ creative rights.
We provide our members with free industrial advice related to their professional work including advice with individual contracts and credit arbitration. This advice is unlimited for full members and limited to 6 hours per year for associate members. Please note it does not include services of legal representation.
For further information please contact one of our Industrial Officers on 02 9319 0339 or [email protected]
To access the below industrial contracts, rates and industrial resources, current AWG members can click the sidelink or here. If you are not a current AWG member, you can join or renew your membership here.
These agreements have been negotiated by the AWG with other organisations. The agreements covering television writing have been negotiated with Screen Producers Australia (SPA). The Theatre Industry Agreement was negotiated with the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG).
The AWG recommended agreements provide writers with favourable terms which are a good starting point for negotiations with producers.
These are standard minimum rates the AWG has negotiated over many years, and are accepted as an industrial standard. They are the minimum rates that an Australian writer ought to receive and should by no means prevent you from negotiating a higher fee based on your experience.