Australia's screen and entertainment industry has responded in a united front against calls made by commercial television broadcasters to abolish Australian children's television quotas.
In Sydney yesterday, at the parliamentary inquiry into the sustainability of the Australian film and television industry, the CEOs of free to air broadcasters Seven, Nine and Ten all made submissions to abolish Australian children's television quotas.
What the broadcasters are essentially arguing for is a reward for failure: failing Australian children, failing Australian parents, failing Australian industry. It is a cruel irony that in an inquiry into the growth and sustainability of the Australian film and television industry, the commercial broadcasters have argued for the destruction of the Australian children's content industry, said Kingston Anderson CEO, Australian Directors Guild.
According to Screen Australia's Drama Report, in 2014-15 there were 47 children's productions in Australia with a total spend of $299 million. If the broadcaster's recommendations are accepted by the Australian Government, this economic activity is in jeopardy.
What is lost in the current focus on the broadcaster's position, is the success of the Australian children's television both here and abroad. Children's television is one of the most lucrative international exports in the entire industry, contributing to a significant portion of $100 million in annualised international content revenue; its reach extends to over 150 countries across film, TV, digital, animation, gaming, live performance and merchandising. Local broadcasters are the trigger for this broader economic activity. We can't lose sight of the bigger picture, said Matthew Deaner CEO, Screen Producers Australia.
According to the ACMA's Broadcast Financial Results, in 2014-15, the commercial broadcasters spent approximately $30 million on children's content, out of a total content budget of nearly $2 billion. Under these new proposals, the broadcasters would be under no obligation to commit to this level of spending in future.
President of the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, Guy Gross explained: Australian tax payers want and deserve Blinky Bill and the myriad of wonderful Australian characters that only a quota protects. Otherwise we become a dumping ground for exclusively American culture.
Ten's CEO, Paul Anderson told the hearings that the broadcaster would invest the budget attributed to children's content into prime-time programming, should it be freed of its responsibilities.
When the UK Government took away quotas on their broadcasters in 2003, it led to a 93 per cent fall in spend on children's content by those broadcasters. The UK Government admitted it made a mistake and brought back children's quotas. A recent Australian study by PwC concluded that the removal of content requirements in Australia would result in a 100 per cent reduction in children's drama and other children's content production. Under no circumstances can we take the risk of removing existing children's content quotas unless a water tight alternative is in place said Paul Murphy, CEO, Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
Screen Australia's 2013 report Child's Play, found that Australian children prefer content specifically made for them and are highly engaged with drama on a number of levels.
This is about more than money. It's about who we are as Australians. An intrinsic value of Australian children's drama is that it reflects the diversity of the Australian experience back to our children. No one else is going to make Australian stories for us. If we lose the children's industry, we will lose a sense of self, our cultural heritage. The next generation will grow up on a diet of foreign programming and without Australian accents. More importantly, Australian children deserve better. They deserve Australian stories. They deserve to dream Australian dreams, Jan Sardi, President of the Australian Writers' Guild added.
Seven's Tim Worner told the parliamentary inquiry that his organisation's spend on children's content is not proportionate to the audience. He stated: Were spending millions of dollars on childrens content for just a few thousand viewers. Some of the audiences are down to an average of 6000.
In response to that claim, Mr Deaner explained, There has been a selective use of figures. The primary broadcaster audience reflects where the children's content has been programmed, usually on multichannels. But we know that the numbers increase across platforms. This is why we need a multiplicity of children's content offerings, not a monopoly. It takes a village to raise a child.
Download the statement here.
Inquiries:
James Cheatley:
james.cheatley@screenproducers.org.au
0419 482 680
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
Australia's screen and entertainment industry has responded in a united front against calls made by commercial television broadcasters to abolish Australian children's television quotas.
