Screen Australia

Michael Ebeid AM shares how Screen Australia is evolving to support a vibrant, viable Australian screen industry to seize the opportunities of tomorrow.

At the 2025 Screen Forever Conference, Chair of Screen Australia Michael Ebeid AM reflected on the future of the screen industry and shared how Screen Australia is working to future-proof screen practitioners.

To support these priorities, Screen Australia has articulated a new organisational purpose: to build a vibrant, viable screen industry that reflects the depth and diversity of Australian stories.

This purpose is supported by five strategic pillars:

• Empower: Equip the industry with insights and resources to stay ahead in a dynamic market.
• Enrich: Build a strong, inclusive industry by fostering screen businesses and developing talent.
• Enable: Bring more Australian stories to screen through innovation in production, distribution and financing.
• Engage: Connect all Australians with resonant stories across the platforms they use.
• Elevate: Position Australia as a global leader in screen production and storytelling.

Read the full transcript below. As part of the keynote, Ebeid also announced updates to Narrative Content and Documentary guidelines. ​

Michael Ebeid AM presents Screen Australia’s Future Focus

SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Opening Remarks

I’m delighted to be here with you all today. Looking around the room at so many familiar faces – here at Australia’s premiere gathering of storytellers – feels like a homecoming for me.

I’d like to also add my respects to the traditional owners of the Yugambeh and Kombumerri peoples and to our First Nations colleagues here today.

This first year as Chair has given me plenty to digest, and, with Deirdre also in her first year, we’ve had the opportunity to question everything we do with fresh eyes.

I believe our industry has seen more change in the last five years than possibly in the last 50. From how content is made to how it’s funded, discovered, watched and played – the transformation has been profound.

If we’re not all thinking about how to work differently – how we produce, create, distribute our content and develop new financing models – many of us won’t be here in five years’ time if we continue to cling onto old or broken models of doing things that are no longer fit for today’s world.

That’s why in developing Screen Australia’s strategic direction, we’ve become relentlessly future-focused about how best to support the industry to deliver on our Purpose during these changing and disruptive times.

The screen landscape is evolving

Globally, we are seeing industry contraction and consolidation. While in Australia, we’re experiencing more growing pains, with the changes in audience behaviour continuing to impact how content is created and consumed – affecting commissioning trends, business strategies and production costs. These changes, set against a backdrop of declining ad revenue for traditional broadcasters and an overall volatile financing market, make for some genuine challenges for all of us.

Despite this, I believe there is good reason to be optimistic given we see many data points that demonstrate our industry has been growing.

Firstly, the consistent year-on-year increases in the number and value of applications received for Screen Australia funding has meant our ability to support projects hasn’t kept pace with demand, limiting our ability to invest in projects. Five years ago we could support half of the applications we received, but in 2023/24 we were only able to fund 30% of applications, and for this year it is tracking at 27%.

Naturally, we will work with the new Government to help us invest more in the industry and I thank SPA for their support in that endeavour.

The second data point that gives me optimism is the total Government contributions supporting the screen industry has grown considerably in the last few years.

The value of Producer Offset funding has almost doubled since 2019. Meanwhile, the value of the PDV and Location Offsets funding have also increased significantly – approximately 68% over the same period – bringing the total value of Government rebates close to $1billion this year. And then when you add in the State Screen funding, which has also almost doubled in the last 5 years, it brings the total up to $1.2 billion of support.

These are concrete numbers that show the underlying strength of our industry, albeit experiencing some growing pains from the shifts I outlined earlier that require transformation.

Savvy producers are already evolving to meet the challenges – diversifying outputs, understanding and addressing audience trends, developing more creative business models, and seizing the potential in collaborating between production companies. These successful producers are the ones that remain positive and understand that doing things the way they always have is a fool’s strategy.

Equally, Screen Australia can’t continue to do things as we always have. Today, I’m excited to share our new Strategic Framework that will underpin how Screen Australia will work with industry, to ensure we remain effective and efficient in supporting the industry through a time of rapid change. But first, I’ll share how we arrived at our new framework.

What we’ve learned and what you’ve told us

When I commenced last year as the Chair of Screen Australia, I found a passionate, dedicated workforce hungry for a strategic focus that understood well the changing landscape. I also observed many areas where we could improve for early wins.

Following months of reflection and a targeted consultation, in January we launched our Industry Survey to strengthen and help inform our new strategic direction. We received over 900 responses in just two weeks from a good cross section of the sector. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to share your feedback with us.

Your feedback was clear: our application process was overly complex, our resources too thinly spread, and we needed to become more future-focused and transparent – in short, be more relevant, sustainable, and impactful.

The key takeaways were clear: the industry is feeling strain, needs support with rising production costs, requires better understanding of audience trends and digital platforms, has a greater focus on global distribution and new ways to reach wider audiences, and sees room for increased collaboration.

Our survey showed that fewer than a third of creatives feel confident in understanding key industry trends. And while many feel prepared for AI, 56% expressed concerns about its increasing impact. But there was a clear correlation between those already using AI and those who said they are excited by its future potential.

In addition to the survey, we conducted interviews with key industry stakeholders and spoke with screen agencies worldwide. It is clear: none of us can do this alone. Our industry is known for its tenacity and innovation. But to thrive in the local and international screen ecosystem, it is vital we work together – with SPA, its members, the guilds, with State and other screen agencies, and with our Federal Government.

Our Strategic Framework

All these inputs informed our new Screen Australia future-focused Strategic Framework and priorities, which I am excited to share with you today. I believe this will focus us on what matters the most and has the biggest impact – helping the sector navigate the future to ensure we have a thriving industry.

At the core of our new Strategic Framework is a shift from measuring our activity to measuring effectiveness. It’s not about how many initiatives or projects we support, but about whether we’re achieving our purpose and have impact.

Our new Purpose, to help build a vibrant and viable screen industry that reflects the depth and diversity of Australia’s stories, will be delivered through five key pillars: to Empower, Enrich, Enable, Engage and Elevate the sector.

I’ll summarise each pillar and dive deeper into the Engage pillar to give you a deeper understanding of our approach.

Empower
In the first pillar, we’ll focus on equipping the industry with quality insights and resources through a range of initiatives like:

• a new version of the Screen Currency report, which will investigate the economic and cultural value of screen and games production in Australia;
• an enhanced Viewfinder series will provide insights into audience behaviours and trends in what they like watching, guiding all of us on how to better connect with audiences where they are; and
• a refreshed PICA report (Production Infrastructure & Capacity Audit) offering deeper insights into the various challenges impacting the growth of our workforce and demand for facilities.

In short, we want to be the source of truth for insights, market intelligence and relevant reporting. Our soon-to-be launched new website will also empower you, making it easier to find the intel you need.

Enrich
In recognising the economic challenges that production businesses face, we will look to extend support beyond individual projects – supporting companies, developing creative entrepreneurship, supporting screen professionals and strengthening pathways for long-term economic sustainability.

For example, to help maintain a strong and inclusive industry, we will foster screen businesses with financial sustainability programs for producers, talent development initiatives and a Private Investment toolkit to help access alternative financing.

Enable
The Enable pillar is all about bringing more Australian stories to screen through innovation in production, distribution, financing models and more streamlined funding programs. This pillar is where the bulk our funding will be deployed.

For example, we will:

• further simplify our Narrative Content and Documentary Funding guidelines and application processes;
• prioritise funding programs that deliver meaningful, systemic change, especially around First Nations, Documentary and Children’s;
• we will open our support to include Short Films; and
  maintain the momentum around Australian games development.

We believe there is great value in the industry working together towards a common goal. Screen Australia will soon kick off a new project to collaborate with the sector to establish a North Star – a shared strategic vision that unites all our efforts and ambitions. You only have to look at the music and tourism industries to see how working together towards a uniting industry goal can have great outcomes.

Engage
The audience is at the heart of what we do, and one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen in the industry is audience behaviour. What and how people watch has changed dramatically over the past five years – and will change again in the next five. That’s why one of our strategy pillars is Engage – connecting Australians with stories that resonate, across the platforms they use.

To track our progress in this pillar, we’re introducing two clear measures of success which will be measured annually:

1. The proportion of Australians who value Australian screen content.
2. The proportion who are aware of Australian productions.

To help move the needle on those metrics, we’re also changing how we work and provide support. For example:

• We’re moving to a platform-agnostic approach to Development and Production funding – backing the best ideas regardless of format or platform, which will see more ‘digital-first’ productions in line with where audiences are.
• We’re introducing audience testing into film development, aiming to lift the conversion rate from development to production.
• We will need audience reach and engagement data from funded projects, so we can better understand and evaluate impact to aid our decision making.

So, as you can see, we are becoming more insight-driven and impact-focused – again, shifting from measuring activity to measuring our effectiveness.

Elevate
Elevate is all about the increasingly important role Screen Australia plays in supporting local practitioners and their content with unique global opportunities. We’ll build on this work to position Australia as a global leader in screen production by:

• facilitating more international collaborations through Co-Production opportunities aligned to strategic markets and goals;
• prioritising our presence at key global events and markets;
• developing a more consolidated and targeted international strategy; and
• we will continue to elevate our independent games industry on the global stage, to help them earn the international recognition they deserve.

All of this is just a snapshot at how Screen Australia’s new strategic framework will shape how we work and support the local industry – with clarity, focus and a stronger connection to outcomes that matter and have impact.

We’ve hit the ground running.

Over the past six months we have made significant strides in not just laying the groundwork for our strategic direction, but we have commenced implementation on several initiatives. We have already:

• reduced our programs and initiatives by 50% to better focus our investments;
• implemented some streamlining in our application forms, with more simplicity to come;
• created an industry-facing advisory role on Producer Offset and Co-productions, allowing producers to get detailed and early advice on their applications. We have appointed Michele McDonald into that role;
• reduced the number of Offset appeals cases in the Tribunal by 90%;
• appointed a dedicated Head of Games, Joey Egger, to recognise its growing importance; and
• become more transparent around our processes and funding decisions, which will be further aided with our updated website launching in the coming months.

Closing remarks

Today I’ve shared a vision of what Screen Australia is becoming – an organisation focused on what matters most to better support your work and our industry’s future.

I hope you can see elements of your feedback reflected in our new Strategic Pillars that will help empower and enrich the industry, drive deeper engagement, and enable and elevate our sector. We’ve come to affectionately call them our five “E’s” internally – a simple reminder of our commitment to you.

We’ve hit the ground running, but this is just the beginning of what we aim to achieve together.

I can think of two clear constants that fill me with optimism: the first is that this sector is brimming with resilience, creativity, passion and innovation. The second is that telling Australian stories is vital to who we are as a society and represents the depth and diversity of who we are.

As we navigate these changing times, I’m reminded of a quote from educator and author Peter Drucker when he said: “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday’s logic.”

At Screen Australia, we’re committed to new thinking and new approaches, and dedicated to meeting the changing demands of modern audiences as we change with you to be a more relevant and value-adding partner.

Together, I believe we can create the future of Australia’s screen industry – not just adapt to it. I believe we can build an ecosystem that thrives amid rising production costs, funding challenges, evolving audience trends and new distribution platforms. And not just for ourselves, but for our ultimate customer – our audiences. We just have to be brave enough to let go of the old models that we know are broken or challenged.

Thank you.

Screen Australia has announced 18 feature films, 10 television dramas, two online projects and one virtual reality (VR) project that will share in over $900,000 of story development funding.

Among the funded projects are children’s animation series Wishes, following five-year-old girl Lucy and her young Guardian-creature Kino; feature film Dust from the playwright of the critically acclaimed Prima Facie, Suzie Miller; the latest comedy/drama series from Celeste Barber, Codependent; and the second iteration of acclaimed virtual reality series, Lustration 2.0.

Included in this slate are 16 projects that have been supported through the Generate Fund, 13 through the Premium Fund and two through the Online Development Fund.

Screen Australia Head of Development Bobby Romia said, “This diverse slate of projects reflects a rich tapestry of creativity, from animated family adventures to thought-provoking dramas. It presents a wealth of opportunities to showcase and nurture the incredible talent we have here in Australia.”

“We’re committed to continuing our drive to invest in ambitious, quality content for audiences far and wide and I’m excited to see these teams transform their visions into compelling narratives,” said Romia.

The projects funded for development include:

• Codependent: An eight-part comedy/drama that follows marriage counsellor Darcy (Celeste Barber), a total romantic who lives in a beautiful coastal Australian town and is fully entrenched in her tight-knit community. But Darcy is forced to face her own relationship demons when her husband leaves her for someone new – untangling 15 years’ worth of an intertwined life while continuing to share empathetic nods with her troubled clients. Attached is writer/producer Celeste Barber and writer Belinda King whose credits include Wellmania, with Alexandra Keddie (The Housemate) producing.
• Dust: From Bunya Productions and playwright of the critically acclaimed Prima Facie Suzie Miller, Dust is a feature film set during an environmental crisis on the day a strong wind completely covers Perth with a massive red dust cloud – triggering a wakeup call that forces a group of individuals to look in new directions, grappling with the core of what matters most. The film positions itself as a look into how humanity deals with chaos, how we navigate vulnerability and how it is in reaching toward each other that we find the essence of our humanity. Dust is from director John Sheedy (H is for Happiness, Runt), writer Suzie Miller (Prima Facie) and producers Greer Simpkin and David Jowsey, whose credits include Limbo.
• Lustration 2.0: This six-part VR drama fantasy series is a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Lustration VR series. This second iteration follows Bardolph and Gallus, who are two protectors of The Between, a realm where the dead go in order to cleanse or ‘lustrate’ themselves before crossing over to pure happiness. But when an evil target slips through their grasp, everyone and everything in The Afterlife begins to unravel. Lustration 2.0 is from writer/director/executive producer Ryan Griffen (Lustration, Cleverman), writer Hannah Belanszky, producer Carolina Sorensen (I’m Wanita) and executive producers Nathan Anderson (Lustration, Awake: Episode One), Wolfgang Bylsma (Lustration) and Wadooah Wali.
• Matriarch: In this horror feature film, self-made woman Connie (29) moves into her husband Calvin’s (35) traditionalist Chinese family home for the third trimester of her pregnancy. As cultural differences and tensions rise surrounding the impending birth of her son, Connie finds herself at the centre of a demented ritual to appease an ancient and decrepit god. Matriarch is co-written and directed by Jayden Rathsam Hua (Sushi Noh, The Key of B) and co-written and produced by Ivy Mak (Swift Street, Sydney Sleuthers).
• Metal Fish Falling Snow: A feature film based on Cath Moore’s award-winning novel follows the story of 12-year-old neurodiverse Dylan, who is driven across the Australian outback to live with her Grandfather William when her adored mother dies suddenly. Accompanied on her journey by her mother’s boyfriend Pat, along the way Dylan struggles with what it means to be of colour, and must confront her fears and falsehoods about the skin she is in. Metal Fish Falling Snow is a drama and magic realism film directed/produced by Olivia Peniston-Bird and written/produced by Cath Moore, whose credits include Graceful Girls and Sister Song.
• Pick Up: From Kindling Pictures and inspired by a true story, Pick Up follows Koen, a musician on the cusp of fame, battling a chronic illness. Introduced to fecal transplants, he begins an intense daily poo pick up from strangers. As his life grows increasingly public, Koen struggles to maintain his donors’ expectations while navigating the bizarre world of bodily waste, upon which his health now depends. Pick Up is an eight-part series about the intricate dance of transaction and intimacy, the complexities of falling in love and the daily demands of a chronic illness. Pick Up is created, written and directed by Taylor Ferguson, whose credits include Fake and Year Of. Emelyne Palmer and Imogen Banks (Fake, Safe Home) are producing and executive producing respectively.
• Senescence: This eight-part science fiction series follows ambitious 26-year-old dropout Mia as she gets caught in a battle whilst trying to save her mother from a degenerative illness. Senescence is written, directed and produced by Madeleine Parry (The Angels: Kickin’ Down the Door), written by Maddison Connaughton and produced by Peter Hanlon (The Angels: Kickin’ Down the Door). Joan Sauers is attached as script editor.
• What I Like About Me: This romantic comedy young adult film is told through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Maisie Martin, whose summer is turned upside down when her best friend starts dating her childhood crush. But as plus-sized Maisie pushes herself out of her comfort zone and into the limelight of the local beauty pageant, Maisie realises the things she loves about herself have been there all along. What I Like About Me is written by Jenna Guillaume, with Erica Harrison (A Beginner’s Guide to Grief) attached as script editor. Hayley Adams and Michelle Melky of Scattered and Love Songs are producing and Alex Reid and Tom Maynard are executive producing.
• Wishes: A 26-part fantasy family children’s animation series about a five-year-old girl, Lucy, and her young Guardian-creature Kino. Whenever Lucy feels the struggles of others and wishes she could do something to help, Kino materialises into Lucy’s world of magical solutions, helping her shape them into selfless acts of kindness. Wishes is directed by Ana María Méndez Salgado and produced by Carlos Manrique Clavijo whose credits include My Little Sumo, with Colin South (The Strange Chores, Little J & Big Cuz) attached as executive producer.

L-R: Celeste Barber (Codependent), Jayden Rathsam Hua (Matriarch) and Suzie Miller (Dust).

Media Enquiries

Kellie Adcock | Senior Publicist

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Screen Australia, SBS and National Indigenous Television (NITV) have selected 10 projects to progress in the first round of this year’s Digital Originals initiative. Now in its fourth year, the initiative is aimed at developing exciting and innovative short-form drama projects to premiere as a single hour-long episode program on SBS On Demand, SBS VICELAND and NITV, from screen creatives historically under-represented in the sector.

The 10 teams selected are currently attending a workshop in Melbourne hosted by Screen Australia, SBS and NITV, to provide them with an opportunity to work on narrative writing skills and develop their projects to align with the SBS Charter, SBS Commissioning Equity and Inclusion Guidelines, and SBS and NITV platforms – ultimately culminating in a pitch to Screen Australia, SBS and NITV. Up to five projects will then be selected to take their projects into further development, and from these up to three will later be chosen for production funding and commissioning with SBS, NITV and Screen Australia.

Screen Australia Head of Online and Games, Lee Naimo said, “Digital Originals is a genuine talent escalator for emerging and under-represented creative talent in Australia. This initiative offers participants a truly unique opportunity to not only create a premium online series, but to also learn from the best in the business and develop their projects in a nurturing environment. We’re absolutely thrilled to continue our partnership with SBS and NITV to deliver Digital Originals and most importantly, continue to help elevate the careers of all the creators we’ll have in the room over the next couple of days.”

SBS Scripted Commissioning Editor, Loani Arman said, “We’re thrilled to be back for another round of Digital Originals and warmly welcome the next crop of teams. The Digital Originals initiative is an unbeatable career pathway for creative talent from excluded or under-represented backgrounds who are burning to tell stories that are rich in culture, courageous in their points of view, and delivered with a level of excellence that sees their stories connect with audiences here in Australia and around the world. We can’t wait to work closely with the teams to support them in developing their projects, along with our initiative partners, Screen Australia and NITV.”

NITV’s Head of Commissions, Marissa McDowell added, “The Digital Originals initiative assists in creating career pathways and elevating First Nations creatives, by providing meaningful support for emerging talent, and a platform to share contemporary stories from fresh perspectives. I’m once again looking forward to seeing all that’s ahead for this year’s cohort.”

The selected Digital Originals projects and teams for the workshop, are:

• Blak Coffee: Dynamic Aunty Laureen and her headstrong but wayward niece Alysha strive for success in their mobile coffee van in a competitive industry, enticing caffeinators with their special bush blend. But the inconvenient arrival of a space alien who looks just like a Hollywood celebrity makes it ultra-challenging for them. Team: Edoardo Crismani, Colleen Raven Strangways, Josh Trevorrow.
• Boundary’s End: Two Blak Queens living on Boundary St, are thrust into the unknown when their onsite landlord dabbles in spellcasting, accidentally blurring the boundary between reality and fantasy. Now at the centre of a fairy-tale with a confused prince and his esquire, they’ll need to complete wacky quests in order to find normality again. Team: Kisha Broome, Miriam Dynevor.
• Jennifer Eric is Cancelled: When trans comedian Jennifer Eric suddenly becomes a viral sensation, she must navigate fame, success and true love at a breakneck pace – begging the question of who will be there for her when it all comes to a crashing halt. Team: Chloe Black, Olivia Bilic, Claudia Holmes.
• Fish Boi: Kiko ‘Fish Boi’ Dela Cruz takes audiences on a wild ride through clan, crew and culture – delivering fish for his family’s Filipino mini-mart, while scheming his way to ‘escape the West’. Team: Robertino Zambrano, Dulce Aguilar.
• Dismissable: When their local beauty pageant becomes disability-only, disabled Alana and her able-bodied sister Nicky clash over whether to make it a success or take it down. As the disabled community competes for the crown, sometimes true equality is getting to be as shallow and backstabbing as everyone else. Team: Rhian Wilson Ruge, Artemis Munoz, Alistair Baldwin.
• Influenced: Eric, a charismatic paraplegic motivational speaker, is on the cusp of his biggest national tour yet. But when mysterious messages from his deceased ex-girlfriend begin to surface, they threaten to shatter the carefully constructed facade of Eric’s inspirational empire. Over six pivotal days, as the pressure mounts and his empire teeters on the edge of collapse, Eric must take drastic measures to take back control of his narrative. Team: Isaac Elliott, Lucy Knox.
• Lingered: When outsider Darcy returns to their regional hometown after transitioning gender, they reunite with their semi-estranged mother Nora to help sell the family home. But after stepping inside, Darcy discovers that Nora’s actually been hiding someone Darcy thought they’d never have to meet again. Team: AP Pobjoy, Cyna Strachan, Kirsty Fisher, Jean Tong, Liam Heyen.
• Little Korea: A film crew follows a naïve Korean migrant single mother who embarks on a journey to conquer the food industry in the brutally competitive Korean restaurant community. Team: Lark Lee, David Gim, Katrina Irawati Graham.
• Scrubbers: A Black-owned roadhouse based in the Nullabor plains is run by two Islander families. The Nullabor road connects East and West and it attracts tourists, wild animals, truckies and a whole lot of misfits – a verified recipe for strange things to happen. Team: Iya Ware, Emele Ugavule, Tommy Misa
• Six Suspects: A prized Indonesian ruby brooch, entrusted by the city’s mayor to the Melbourne Fashion Gala Festival for its grand finale runway, vanishes just before its unveiling by local hijabi model and showstopper, Inayah Muhammad. Suspect 1# Inayah Muhammad. Team: Kauthar Abdulalim, Nazli Sevinc, Santilla Chingaipe.

The Digital Originals initiative continues to prove itself as an effective stepping-stone for creators to advance their skills, and as a launch-pad for their projects to attract local interest and break into international markets. Recent recipients include Night Bloomers, which premiered on SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND last month; Appetite, which was selected as one of 10 series’ in the Short Form Competition at Canneseries 2023; and Latecomers, which was among six series featured in the Short Forms Competition at Series Mania in Lille, France this year – with both Appetite and Latecomers being the only Australian productions selected for each of the prestigious festivals and this week were both announced as finalists in C21’s International Drama Awards for Newform Drama Series. Appetite has also been nominated for a Rose d’Or this week. Alumni of Digital Originals have also gone on to take on key creative roles across SBS original series and elsewhere in the industry, including, producer Liam Heyen (Latecomers, Erotic Stories), director Madeleine Gottlieb (Erotic Stories), Mohini Herse (Appetite) who will soon direct Four Years for SBS, Stevie Cruz-Martin (The Tailings, Safe Home), as well as Corrie Chen and Michelle Law (Homecoming Queens), and Dylan River (Robbie Hood).

Media Enquiries

Kellie Adcock | Senior Publicist

+ 61 2 8113 5800 | [email protected]

All other general/non-media enquiries

Sydney + 61 2 8113 5800 | Melbourne + 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]

Screen Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Deirdre Brennan as Chief Executive Officer, starting 8 January 2024.

Deirdre has extensive experience as an executive in the domestic and international screen sector, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of WildBrain, a global independent media entertainment company spanning content production, distribution, brands and licensing.

Previously, Deirdre worked at BBC Worldwide Australia as the Director of Television, General Manager and Director of Content. Her former roles include Head of Children’s Television at the ABC TV and General Manager of Universal Kids at NBC Universal.

Screen Australia’s Chair Nicholas Moore said, “We are delighted to welcome Deirdre to Screen Australia at this pivotal time for the Australian screen industry. The Board was extremely impressed by Deirdre’s wealth of experience and we look forward to the positive impact she will make during her time in the role. This appointment represents a remarkable opportunity to expand our capacity to tell Australian stories and connect with international audiences in new ways.”

Deirdre Brennan said, “I am excited to return to Australia to lead such an important organisation, focusing on building a sustainable future for the creative industry amidst evolving technologies, competitive pressures and expanding platforms. Screen Australia’s mission is very clear and I will strive to be a passionate advocate and partner for our creators, storytellers and emerging talent.”

Deirdre will formally commence as CEO from 8 January 2024, taking over the reins from Graeme Mason, who is departing the agency in early November after a decade in the role.

On outgoing CEO Graeme Mason’s departure, Nicholas Moore said, “As we welcome Deirdre, we bid farewell to Graeme after his remarkable 10-year tenure as CEO of Screen Australia. Since 2013, Graeme has led the agency through a period of rapid change and the sector has been strengthened by his dedication, passion and leadership. On behalf of the Board and the Screen Australia team, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Graeme, and I congratulate him on all that he has achieved.”

Media Enquiries

Kellie Adcock | Senior Publicist

+ 61 2 8113 5800 | [email protected]

All other general/non-media enquiries

Sydney + 61 2 8113 5800 | Melbourne + 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]

Screen Australia is pleased to announce three new funding opportunities for Australian independent gamemakers that will provide direct funding for original games with budgets below $500,000, new projects from emerging gamemakers, and professional development. The new programs are supported by the Federal Government’s National Cultural Policy announced in January 2023, Revive, which includes a commitment of $12 million over 4 years of dedicated digital games funding through Screen Australia.

Replacing Screen Australia’s Games: Expansion Pack, the new programs include; the Games Production Fund, which will support independent games towards a significant milestone of development such as release or early access; the Emerging Gamemakers Fund for the development of original new projects or prototypes; and the Future Leaders Delegation, which will provide funding and support for up to five individual applicants to travel to San Francisco to attend Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024.

First launched in March 2022, the Games: Expansion Pack was created in response to the creative potential of the Australian games industry. Over $8.1 million has been distributed to 62 projects and two First Nations games studios. During this period, the Federal Government also introduced the Digital Games Tax Offset that provides projects with budgets over $500,000 with a 30% tax incentive.

Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia said, “Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed remarkable transformation and growth in the Australian digital games industry, and it has been inspiring to support a diverse range of practitioners and projects from emerging talents to experts in the field. Screen Australia’s Games: Expansion Pack played a crucial role in supporting Australian independent game developers, and we’re committed to continuing that support. From beautifully intricate puzzle games like The Master’s Pupil to AGDA Game of the Year-nominated word game Gubbins, the wide range of games supported is proof of the creative strength of the Australian indie games community.”

“Today’s announcement represents an evolution of our games funding and will serve our independent gamemakers into the future — and is testament to our commitment to supporting Australia’s growing games industry. To all the independent gamemakers out there, I encourage you to share your unique visions and projects with us and seize this opportunity.”

GAMES PRODUCTION FUND
The Games Production Fund will provide grants of up to $100,000 towards supporting the development of original, Australian independent games, with a budget of up to $500,000 at the time of applying, to support the game towards a significant milestone of its development, such as release, early access, completion of a vertical slice to help meet commercial goals, or polishing a prototype to a quality suitable for submission to an accolade signifying cultural impact.

Find out more about the Games Production Fund guidelines.

EMERGING GAMEMAKERS FUND
The Emerging Gamemakers Fund provides grants of up to $30,000 to support the development of original, new projects from Australian independent gamemakers. It can fund the creation of a prototype or the completion of a micro-scale game. The fund is aimed at emerging creators, diverse voices, and/or established creators who are interested in creative and artistic experimentation. The fund will run as a series of rounds from financial year 2023/24 until financial year 2026/27. The fund is open to applications from practitioners operating either as sole traders or private companies.

Find out more about the Emerging Gamemakers fund guidelines.

FUTURE LEADERS DELEGATION
The Future Leaders Delegation will provide up to $8,000 of funding and support to five individuals to travel to San Francisco to attend Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024 (18–22 March 2024). This initiative provides early-to-mid career gamemakers the opportunity to travel to GDC for the first time, seek out professional opportunities, and build relationships that will benefit their careers, and includes a pre-departure workshop from industry experts to be held in Melbourne in February 2024.

The Screen Australia Games Team and IGEA are presenting an online webinar to unpack the new funds and answer questions. Held at 3pm AEDT on Thursday 12 October 2023, the webinar will also be recorded and made available to those who can’t attend.

To find out more about the Federal Governments Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO), click here.

Media Enquiries

Kellie Adcock | Senior Publicist

+ 61 2 8113 5800 | [email protected]

All other general/non-media enquiries

Sydney + 61 2 8113 5800 | Melbourne + 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]

Screen Australia has announced $600,000 through the First Nations Games Studio fund and additionally over $2.4 million of funding for 21 games through the Games: Expansion Pack fund. The games span a wide range of genres and platforms and are being developed by teams from across Australia.

First launched in March 2022, Screen Australia’s Games: Expansion Pack is targeted at emerging or small to medium independent game studios and provides direct funding for original Australian games with budgets below $500,000. It has distributed over $8 million to 62 Australian games since its inception. Screen Australia will reopen games funding rounds on 2 October 2023.

Screen Australia announced today two successful studios that have been selected to each receive $300,000 through the First Nations Games Studio fund. They are GUCK and Awesome Black. This fund was launched in May to support games studios led by First Nations game developers and is the first of its kind on a national scale.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke said, “It’s fantastic that Screen Australia now has the funding it needs for video games. That’s why we set up these dedicated funds for this growing and important industry – supporting local games developers.”

Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason said, “It was amazing to see the high volume of incredibly strong applications for this latest round of Games: Expansion Pack and also for the inaugural First Nations Games Studio fund. These projects and these studios represent a fantastic mix of exciting games from talented creators around the country and it is great to be able to support them to accelerate their skills and talent, and to bring their creative visions to life. We are so proud of the level of talent in the games industry in Australia, and feel the best is yet to come for our games developers both locally and on the international stage.”

This announcement comes after the Federal Government introduced the Digital Games Tax Offset to provide projects with budgets over $500,000 with a 30% tax incentive. This investment has been coupled with an additional $12 million over four years from 2023/24 to support digital games developers and small and medium independent games studios through Screen Australia.

It was recently outlined in the 2021/22 Australian Bureau of Statistics film, television and digital games survey that Australia’s digital games sector has experienced substantial growth since the previous 2015/16 survey. It reported that the sector experienced a 265% increase in income, a 68% increase in the number of games produced and a 203% increase in employment amongst digital game developers – the largest growth across all sectors in the Australian screen industry.

The studios funded through the First Nations Games Studio fund are:

• GUCK (VIC): Based in Victoria and led by company directors Hayley Percy (Wiradjuri) and Kati Elizabeth, GUCK have spent the past four years heavily investing into professional development, pre-production, community collaboration and consultation. They are currently working on an Aboriginal-led mobile game Future Folklore where all positions of leadership on the game are held by First Peoples and is governed by the Blak Cloud advisory board. GUCK currently employs eight First Nations on-going staff and a wide range of additional First Nations casual staff and contractors, and are committed to supporting people from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups. GUCK are excited to share more details about their new game over the coming 12 months.
• Awesome Black (NSW): Awesome Black is a creative social enterprise developing original First Nations talent and unique storytelling content across a variety of mediums including podcasting, literature, video gaming and XR, music, photography and digital art. Awesome Black is dedicated to building pathways towards equitable access to authentically represented, resourced and compensated First Nations participation in all creative industries. Awesome Black is committed to developing best practice programs, networks, skills and tools within First Nations communities to provide current and future generations with sustainable avenues for employment, creative expression, financial security and storytelling.

The projects funded through the Games: Expansion Pack are:

• Ailuri (NSW): A 2D, hand-drawn cooperative exploration platformer where players take on the role of the titular Ailuri, a red panda who rescues endangered animals. In order to protect this fantastical world from environmental destruction, players will need to take control of the small but mighty hero to complete vast levels, rescue adorable animals and defeat massive bosses. The team consists of creative director Liezl Ronquillo, composer Thomas Connell, lead programmer Tyrone Sobb, quality assurance tester Austin Blakemore and 2D Artist Lily Anderson. This project has previously received assistance as part of the Incubator Program from the Academy of Interactive Entertainment.
• Covert Crew (WA): This role-playing, story-driven game is created by solo developer Daniel Pratt and combines the flashy, action-packed world of superheroes with the methodical play of a turn-based strategy game. Set in a near-future fantasy world, the Covert Crew is a team of unconventional heroes, motivated by good rather than fame and greed. In this game, players recruit a diverse cast of characters from different backgrounds who possess unique superpowers. Together, they must learn to co-exist as a team while working in the shadows in order to stop a villainous syndicate aiming to upset the balance of power.
• darkwebSTREAMER (SA): From We Have Always Lived In The Forest, darkwebSTREAMER is a horror RPG streaming simulator and a spooky love letter to the old internet. Players take on the role of an occult streamer on the dark web, whose mission is to find the weirdest, creepiest stuff on the internet, bring it back to their stream and impress their viewers enough to make it to the #1 ranked streamer on the internet. However, the supernatural is real – the more players engage with the darkness of the web, the more they will find their apartment stalked by demons, spirits, crazed fans and online enemies as they strive to become the #1 streamer. Fully procedurally generated, the game creates a brand new and unique story and experience – every time. darkwebSTREAMER is led by Chantal Ryan and has been financed with support from the South Australia Department of Trade & Investment and the Adelaide Economic Development Agency.
• Delphinium (SA): This is a narrative-driven farming simulator with unique, dialogue-based mechanics driving an emotional story from producer Heidi Borge of CinnaDev. Delphinium follows the character of Haiyan as she returns to her home village in the aftermath of a life-changing event. There, Haiyan finds other people with struggles both similar and entirely different to her own, and takes it upon herself to meddle with her fellow villager’s interpersonal lives and relationships in the name of helping them out.
• Drăculești (VIC): From new studio Fine Feathered Fiends led by creative director Mads Mackenzie, Drăculești is a horror-romance visual novel adaptation of the classic novel, Dracula. Set in the frozen mountains of Romania, players take on the role of exiled English solicitor Roger M Renfield as he visits Castle Dracula to meet an eccentric new client. But this is no ordinary place, and no ordinary assignment. Along the way, players will meet four tantalising and terrifying companions, and either struggle through madness and despair to earn Renfield a happy ending, or let him succumb to his fate.
• Dryft City Kyngs (VIC): From Nonsense Machine, this story-driven adventure game combines role-playing and racing elements to create a unique open world where the player can progress and explore at their own pace. Set in the eponymous Melbourne-inspired Dryft City during the late 2020s, a lifelong office worker yearns to break out from their mundane life to fulfil their true calling: to become the best drift racer the city has ever seen. The team consists of project lead Nicholas Greber, graphic artist Samuel Wright and UX and narrative designer Ruimin Guo. It has been developed with the assistance of VicScreen.
• Feed the Deep (QLD): Created by solo developer Luke Muscat who brought Fruit Ninja to screens across the globe, Feed the Deep is an underwater exploration roguelike survival game, where players can dive into the darkness in search of resources, upgrade equipment and discover the strange mysteries and secrets below – waiting to be found and understood. Feed the Deep has been developed with support from Screen Queensland.
• The Godfeather: A Mafia Pigeon Saga (NSW): From Hojo Studio, The Godfeather is a mafia pigeon roguelike comedy game where players take on the role of a humble associate in the pigeon underworld tasked with taking back the Old Neighbourhood from its enemies. Combining elements of stealth, open world exploration and poop (lots of poop), the player’s feathered legend grows as their pigeon uncovers the dark secret at the core of the Pigeon Mafia. The team includes CEO/MD/founders Richard Salter and Jola Szymanska, executive producer Stephanie Salter and community manager Shoshana Lewis.
• Incolatus (WA): After crash landing on a strange and alien world now overrun by a despicable corporate entity, players must work their way through the planet and retrieve the parts needed to repair their ship. The faster players move, the stronger they’ll become. Just. Don’t. Stop. Moving. Incolatus is being developed by Funny Fintan Softworks, with the team consisting of creative director Jane Kennington and lead developer Zia Daud.
• Letters to Arralla (VIC): Created by Little Pink Clouds, Letters to Arralla is an exploration role-playing game where players take on the role of a newly recruited mail-turnip responsible for delivering letters, parcels and packages to the island’s charming residents. As players soak up the sunny views and meet the interesting townsfolk, they begin to inadvertently help and heal the town through the process of kindness, friendship and express delivery. The team consists of creative director Chantel Jasmine Eagle, lead programmer Rhiannon Ross, narrative designer Alex Minenna, consultant Phoebe Watson, composer Danna Yun, sound designer Ben Houghton, technical director Michael Krekelberg, 3D artist Bailey Mogensen, marketing illustrator Monica Keeler and tech support Nat Bott. It has been developed with the assistance of VicScreen.
• Memory’s Reach (VIC): An exploration-based puzzle adventure game from lead developer Ben Droste of 100 Stones Interactive. After a cryptic signal reaches out through the void, players are beckoned to a world of ancient alien megastructures – a beautiful, awe-inspiring sight devoid of even a single sign of life. From there, players can explore labyrinthian megastructures, brave perilous alien technology and solve mind-bending puzzles in this cosmic sci-fi adventure to discover the fate of a doomed civilization.
• Mouse Game (working title) (SA): From creative director Daniel Freer of Pond Games, Mouse Game is a 2D action-adventure platformer starring a tiny mouse who explores a strange, interconnected world. Players can uncover the truth of this landscape and their place in it through exploration, discovery, combat and platforming challenges.
• Neyyah (WA): Neyyah is a first-person point-and-click adventure game, set within a mysterious puzzle-laden archipelago. Through unique storytelling, puzzle-solving and world-building, the game offers players hours of non-linear gameplay as they grapple with the ambiguous ethics of truth and illusion. Created by Defy Reality Entertainment, the team includes lead developer Aaron Gwynaire, creative director Nanci Nott, business/artistic consultant Xanthe Turner and consultant Azalia Turner.
• Outpost (ACT): Set in the spine-chilling tendrils of a desolate Antarctic base, Outpost is a psychological thriller game that follows Indian Australian Pete who is running away from a family health diagnosis. As he uncovers the mystery of why this base has gone silent, Pete must learn that he can’t run away from his problems – finding out whether he will repeat his mistakes when presented with the choice of self-preservation or helping those in need. The Outpost team includes creative director Peter Menhennitt, lead programmer Calum Spring, lead narrative Asheesh Saxena, sound designer Nic Dullow, game designer Jarrod Farquhar-Nicol and voice artist Emilie Martin. It is financed with support from Arts ACT.
• RPG Game (working title) (SA): An open-world fantasy RPG created by Killerfish Games. The team includes executive producer and lead designer/developer Paul Sincock, COO/designer Fiona Sincock, art producer Justin Wight and art director Troy Bellchambers.
• Shrine House Keepers (WA): From Hungry Sky and Milktooth Arts, this is a rogue-lite, deck-building game where players take on a role as a member of a diverse “found family” of Shrine House Keepers led by The Patriarch. Together, they are tasked with maintaining the Shrinelight network, a spiritual energy that flows through sacred sites, special places and shrine houses. By traveling to different locations, gathering resources and completing errands, the player helps restore balance and harmony to the network. Shrine House Keepers is by design director Nick Lowe, technical director Jack Casey, creative director Campbell Whyte, art director Elizabeth Marruffo and production director Minh Tran.
• Spiritwell (VIC): A role-playing, story-driven adventure-comedy exploration game from solo developer David Chen where players play as a meek child who runs away from home and falls down a mysterious well into the spirit world. Along the way, players will meet a vibrant and humorous cast of characters while playing through tailor-made gameplay sequences and uncover an inviting world filled with strange and dark secrets. Spiritwell is developed with the assistance of VicScreen.
• Sundown (NSW): This story-driven, exploration adventure game invites players to play as Mary, a would-be astronaut who was never able to go to space. Mary is 93 years old and living with dementia when players pull on her slippers to traverse memories and hallucinations in a last-ditch effort to get to space. Sundown is being developed by experience design studio S1T2 (Story 1st, Technology 2nd) with a team including creative directors Christopher Panzetta and Mike Daly, technical director Liam Stephens, art director Oscar Berman, narrative lead Aiyana Merlo, lead producer Natalie Robinson, business lead Jananthan Kandasamy, technical artist Stephen O’Callaghan, motion lead Nicky Tunpitcha and real-developers Luna Joy, Ashley Sewell and Iris Li.
• Taming Yore Dragon (SA): This educational adventure platformer from My Colourful Mind is set in the fantastical land of Yore, that was once full of colour and life and inhabited by fantastical creatures roaming the lands. But after the evil dragon Deimos took over the land, players will need to rescue allies in order to conquer and overcome Deimos – bringing light and laughter back to a world crushed by constant sadness and despair. Taming Yore Dragon is from lead developer April Benjamin and narrative designer Edward Korhonen-Bannister.
• Tempopo (QLD): From Witch Beam Games, the studio behind Unpacking, comes the wholesome puzzle game Tempopo where players rescue musical flowers across sky islands. The team includes lead designer Sanatana Mishra, audio director Jeff van Dyck and lead artist Nicole Stark. It has been financed with support from Screen Queensland.
• Tempus Rail (SA): This story-rich, first-person, roguelike deck builder set in the Wild West on a train travelling through a temporal rift. Trapped in this temporal loop, players must use strategies to fight their way to the front of the train and destroy the engine before the day resets. Tempus Rail is created by Joseph Roberts of Pixel Drip Games.

Media Enquiries

Kellie Adcock | Senior Publicist

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The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released the results of its eighth Film, Television and Digital Games Survey covering the financial year 2021/22. The survey provides valuable insights into the Australian screen industry’s performance — shining a light on key metrics and trends that shape the industry.

The 2021/22 survey highlights the strength of the Australian screen industry with large gains in employment and growth in digital games. For the first time, data covering film and video distribution businesses and film exhibition businesses has also been included.

Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason said, “We are pleased to share these results from the ABS, which provides a snapshot of how large and dynamic the Australian screen industry is and how it has grown since the last survey.”

The Australian screen industry employed approximately 55,000 people and contributed over $6 billion in valued-added* to the Australian economy in 2021/22, making it the largest creative contributor.

“It’s really exciting to see employment opportunities and career pathways for our talented and skilled workforce are on the rise and that the billion-dollar digital games sector is booming. This proves that no matter what your area of passion is, there are more opportunities than ever to seek a career in the Australian screen industry,” Mason said.

Industry employment on the rise

One area which has seen significant growth is employment. Total industry employment has grown by 37% since 2015/16, excluding distribution and exhibition businesses, which were not included in the previous survey. This reflects the scale of the screen workforce, its strength and vital contribution to the Australian economy.

Of the 55,126 people employed in the industry over the 2021/22 period, the largest proportions were seen in film and video production (26,808) and exhibition (11,213), with the largest growth occurring among digital games developers, who saw a 203% increase compared to 2015/16.

Although the recent production boom has increased employment opportunities for workers in the industry, it also highlights short-term challenges such as sourcing crew. This has prompted the introduction of additional initiatives such as Screen Australia’s Industry Development Programs for below-the-line roles to maintain the momentum in meeting these demands.

Financial activity trends differ across sectors

The survey reveals film and video businesses have seen significant growth in output (or industry value-added) since 2015/16, increasing by 43% to $1,611 million in 2021/22. This increased output has led to a significant increase in income for film and video production businesses, growing by 75% to $4,575 million in 2021/21.

Interestingly the data showed that film and video production businesses received significantly more post-production, digital and visual effects (PDV) services income compared to 2015/16 ($389 million, up 193%) — reflecting a trend of production businesses bringing more PDV work in-house.

However, film and video production businesses have also seen significant increases in expenses (104% growth since 2015/16), driven largely by rising labour costs.

For film and video post-production businesses, $604 million total income was generated in 2021/22 (increase of 34% since 2015/16), while value-added increased by 23% to $374 million in 2021/22.

The 2021/22 survey includes film and video distribution and film exhibition businesses. These sectors reported a combined $2,757 million of income and an aggregated profit of $155 million.

Graeme Mason said, “Film distribution and exhibition businesses have experienced significant hardship over the past few years, but it’s heartening to know that watching a film at the cinema continues to be Australia’s most popular cultural pastime.”

Commercial free-to-air broadcasters generated a total income of $3,746 million (decrease of 17% from 2015/16) and saw a decline of 9% to $1,857 million in value-added. Subscription broadcasters and channel providers generated a total income of $4,431 million (decrease of 27% from 2015/16) and also saw a decline of 53% in value-added (to $1,186 million in 2021/22).

Mason said, “We acknowledge there are challenges for the sector, such as subscription broadcasters and channel providers and commercial free-to-air broadcasters seeing a decline in income and value-added, partly driven by increased global competition.”

*To account for inflation and ensure comparability of results over time, Screen Australia has converted 2015/16 figures into 2021/22-dollar terms. This has been done using publicly available ABS Consumer Price Index (CPI) data.

Boost in film and video production activity

The survey results found that total hours of television produced increased by 1.7% since 2015/16, with strong growth in broadcast hours of particular genres, such as television drama (70%) and documentary (165%). However total cost increased by 45%, driving up average cost per hour for television productions.

For non-television film and video production, there was significant growth between 2015/16 and 2021/22 in numbers of feature films (133%), film documentaries (46%), short films (152%), and short form online content (60%). Average cost per production declined for feature films (-35%), and short films (-85%) and increased for film documentaries (5%) and short form online content (76%).

It is important to note that although Australia has experienced a boom in productions in recent years, the industry is still waiting for the income of these productions to have an impact as the projects hit our screens in the future.

Substantial growth in digital games

A notable area of growth identified in the survey is digital games. During 2021/22, digital game development businesses produced 299 games, which was a 68% increase since 2015/16, with multiplatform games having the largest increase in productions (325%).

Despite an increase in expenses for digital games businesses of 282% between 2015/16 and 2021/22, this sector reported a 204% increase in operating profit before tax, reaching $84 million in 2021/22, reflecting the strong income growth (265% since 2015/16) in the industry.

The introduction of the Digital Games Tax Offset, which will have retrospective effect from 1 July 2022, and the $12 million over four years through the Federal Government’s National Cultural Policy, Revive will also provide additional opportunities for games developers in Australia.

Looking ahead and utilising the survey data

Graeme Mason said, “Our focus now is to use this data to make the most of these opportunities and drive change — ensuring that we are in the best position to strengthen the domestic industry and encourage more Australian stories on screens locally and globally.”

“The screen industry continues to punch above its weight and we know its value both economically and culturally, however more action will be needed to keep the momentum going, with these results informing decisions and collaborations across the industry.”

“We thank the ABS for their work on this survey and encourage the industry to utilise this data when making submissions to Screen Australia,” said Mason.

The full survey results for 2021/22 are available on the ABS website at no cost.

The Survey

• The Film, Television and Digital Games Survey is funded by Screen Australia as part of the agency’s research function.
• The survey has been done periodically since 1993/94, with games included since 2006/07, and subscription video-on-demand services included since 2015/16.
• The 2021/22 survey is based on a sample of 1,252 businesses.
• Public broadcasters are covered in the production activity data, however are not surveyed in the financial or employment data. However, it is common for public broadcasters to use film and video production businesses to make their screen content, meaning that some expenditure would be captured.
• Note that in this media release, Screen Australia has rounded ABS figures and converted 2015/16 figures to 2021/22-dollar terms to ensure comparability of results over time.
• *‘Value-added’ measures business output, calculated as sales and service income, capital works, Government funding and changes in inventories, minus the cost of goods and services used in production.
• Subscription broadcasters includes traditional subscription broadcasters, as well as newer subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services. Multinational SVOD providers will only be captured in the survey if they had an active Australian Business Number (ABN) in the relevant financial year. Further, only the Australian operations of these businesses will be captured.

Complimentary Data

• 2021/22 figures should not be compared to survey results prior to 2015/16, due to significant changes to scope and methodology since these earlier surveys.
• Like the ABS Survey, the latest annual Drama Report from Screen Australia analyses 2021/22, however there are methodology differences e.g., the Drama Report details expenditure in the financial year in which principal photography commenced. The scope is also different, with the ABS Survey including all screen content rather than only drama.

Media Enquiries

Kellie Adcock | Senior Publicist

+ 61 2 8113 5800 | [email protected]

All other general/non-media enquiries

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Screen Australia has released new research into diversity on Australian screens, titled Seeing Ourselves 2: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Australian TV Drama. A follow up to the landmark 2016 study, Seeing Ourselves 2 examines the diversity of main characters in 361 scripted Australian TV and online dramas broadcast between 2016 and 2021, how this compares to the Australian population, and what has changed since the previous Seeing Ourselves report.

The report shows that there have been increases in the levels of diversity since 2016 including higher representation for First Nations people (7.2% from 4.8%), disabled people (6.6% from 3.6%), LGBTIQ+[1] people (7.4% from 4.5%), and non-European people (16% from 6.9%). However, a number of Australia’s communities remain under-represented on-screen compared to population benchmarks and in particular disability representation remains critically low.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke said, “Australian drama on screen is compelling and powerful. It’s a cornerstone of how Australians see themselves, learn about each other and how the world comes to know us. It shouldn’t be too much to ask that when you watch Australian screen, it looks like modern Australia.”

Screen Australia’s CEO, Graeme Mason said, “It’s vital that Australian screen stories authentically reflect the diversity of our nation, and we know that the screen industry is becoming more aware of the cultural and commercial value of creating diverse content. It’s great to see improvements since 2016, however these results show that the overall pace of progress is slow and there is a long way to go to reach genuine representation of Australia’s diverse communities on screen.”

“Authenticity and inclusivity are a core consideration in all of our work at Screen Australia, and are why we invested in this new Seeing Ourselves report. This research serves to shine a light on the current landscape, and we hope it will inform, educate and influence decision-making across the whole sector. We know more action is needed to bring about transformative change and collaboration will be essential. We look forward to working with the sector to achieve greater representation in the Australian screen industry.”

The report provides the industry with key findings that show the gaps in representation on-screen and some of the challenges faced by practitioners in the sector.

Method

In part 1 of the report, Screen Australia examined 3,072 main characters in 361 scripted Australian TV dramas, including children’s dramas and comedies. The titles examined were commissioned and first released between 2016 and 2021 on free-to-air or subscription TV, streaming or online services available in Australia. These main characters were analysed by cultural background, disability, gender, sexual orientation, occupational status and two new variables: age and location, as well as how these different aspects of diversity intersect. Results were then compared to the previous Seeing Ourselves report and 2021 Census data on the population where possible.

To reflect changes in audience viewing behaviour over the past six years, the scope of the report has been expanded since the 2016 report to go beyond broadcast TV and also includes commissioned content on streaming and online services.

Part 2 of the report provides results from interviews with the industry, offering their insights into the opportunities, challenges and barriers experienced by those involved in bringing diverse stories and characters to the screen. It includes consultations with 35 participants across 23 industry and diversity, equity and inclusion organisations and in-depth interviews with 28 key stakeholders including diverse screen practitioners and people working on diverse stories.

Results: First Nations

The study found that the level of First Nations representation on screen is strong, increasing from 4.8% of main characters in the previous study to 7.2%, compared to the population benchmark of 3.8%.

Screen Australia’s Head of First Nations Angela Bates said, “For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be able to see ourselves represented on screen in shows such as Mystery Road, Total Control and Black Comedy, is powerful. This result shows good progress and it’s not by accident – it represents years of advocacy and consistent hard work to ensure our practitioners feel supported and are afforded opportunities in an industry that hasn’t always been accessible. It’s proof of what’s possible when we are empowered to tell stories from our perspective – it translates to screen and gives credibility to stories in a way that can’t be replicated, slowly breaking down stereotypes and barriers, which is extremely validating. While more work needs to be done, the positive impact that seeing ourselves on screens has on entire communities cannot be underestimated, and all Australians benefit because it adds so much more cultural richness to our screens.”

Results: Cultural Background (Non-First Nations)

Although 53% of the Australian population have Anglo-Celtic ancestry, they represented 71% of main characters in this study. This is down from 82% in 2016, suggesting the industry has made efforts to increase the cultural diversity in the main characters on our screens.

For the purpose of this report and to allow for comparison with the 2016 report, top-level findings for cultural background has been grouped into ‘Anglo-Celtic’, ‘European’ and ‘non-European’[2], mirroring key waves of migration to Australia. The share of non-European main characters (for example, those with Indian, Chinese or Middle Eastern ancestry) has more than doubled from 6.9% to 16%. However, this is still lower than the population benchmark of 25%. Within this, the report also looks at more detailed cultural groups as represented in the graph below.

One in four TV dramas feature all Anglo-Celtic main characters, down from one in three in the previous study.

Results: Disability

The rate of disability representation among main characters has improved, but from a low base. Disability remains very much under-represented in TV drama (6.6%, up from 3.6% in the previous study) compared to the Australian population (18%).

The report found that nearly three quarters of programs did not feature any disabled main characters, an improvement from the 90% reported in 2016. This indicates that more work needs to be done so that disabled people are included as main characters in our screen stories.

Results: Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

The gender of main characters was evenly split between women and men, similar to the Australian population. There were 13 characters who are transgender (0.4% of main characters) and five who are non-binary (0.2%). At the time of preparing this report, there were no population statistics for people who are trans and/or gender diverse.
Representation of LGBTIQ+ characters has increased to 7.4%, up from 4.5% in 2016. This is still lower than the estimated 11% of the population who identify as LGBTIQ+. The report found that 69% of programs did not feature any LGBTIQ+ characters, a slight improvement from 73% in 2016.

Results: Age and Occupational Status

The study found that Australian TV dramas tend to feature younger adults, with 62% of main characters aged between 18-44 years. There is under-representation of main characters aged under 12 (2.2% compared to population benchmark of 15%) and only 7% aged 60 and over, much lower than 23% of the population in this age group.

Main characters in TV drama are more likely to have higher occupational status than the Australian population, suggesting a bias towards socioeconomic advantage on our screens. The research also revealed that First Nations, non-European and disabled characters are less likely to be represented in higher skill level occupations.

Results: Diversity in Children’s Drama

Children’s programs have a higher level of cultural diversity than general drama, and this has increased since 2016 in terms of First Nations representation (9.1%) and characters from non-European backgrounds (22%). However, levels of disability (3.8%) and LGBTIQ+ representation (3.1%) are much lower among children’s titles compared to general TV drama titles.

Graeme Mason said, “Australian children’s drama is world-renowned, and we’re proud to see successful shows with authentic representation such as First Day and Hardball winning not only the hearts of viewers but also International Emmy Awards. We know that diverse children’s programming resonates with audiences here and overseas, and we want to see even more of this on our screens.”

Challenges and Opportunities

The results of the industry consultation conducted for this report revealed experiences of significant barriers to improving both on-screen representation and diversity and inclusion off screen in production teams, writers’ rooms and key decision-making and commissioning roles.

The in-depth qualitative research shows a push within the industry for:

• Centring lived experience and genuine collaboration in telling authentic stories. This includes having stories led by or told in genuine collaboration with people with lived experience, and getting more diverse voices into writing rooms and on set. The feedback also showed that it’s important to avoid persistent stereotypes and tokenism and to tell specific stories about characters’ personal experiences, rather than trying to portray a whole community.
• Increasing diverse representation throughout the screen industry and at all career stages; including having more diverse people on crews and in leadership positions, and supporting the careers of under-represented talent through a network of champions and mentors and structured attachment programs.
• Improving cultural safety and accessibility across the screen industry, driven by culturally competent commissioners, producers and key creatives. Along with professional education and training about cultural safety and accessibility, creatives can also educate themselves to alleviate the burden on under-represented practitioners to educate production teams.

Graeme Mason said, “We thank everyone who has contributed to this report. The wheels of change are in motion but there is a lot more work to do to achieve diversity on our screens that is both authentic and creatively and commercially fulfilling. We also know this is a global issue, and there’s a growing push around the world for all people to be able to see themselves represented onscreen. This report provides international context in Part 3 by comparing similar research with the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand. While our on-screen results compare favourably with some of our peers on several metrics – such as our strong First Nations and women’s on-screen representation – other jurisdictions are ahead of the game in terms of taking action and implementing whole of sector strategies. We can learn from these countries as we look at ways to pick up the pace of change in our local industry.”

“We encourage the industry to utilise this report, including the tools and resources within it, and we hope it will arm and empower screen professionals to address their specific areas of concern,” Mason said.

[1] LGBTIQ+ is the acronym used in this report referring to people with diverse sexual orientations and/or gender identities. This reflects ABS 2021, Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, 2020.

[2] The term ‘Non-European’ is based on categorisation from Australian Human Rights Commission 2018, Leading for Change: A blueprint for cultural diversity and inclusive leadership revisited.

Media Enquiries

Kellie Adcock | Senior Publicist

+ 61 2 8113 5800 | [email protected]

All other general/non-media enquiries

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Screen Australia’s annual Drama Report released today shows expenditure on drama production in Australia has exceeded $1.17 billion, made up of a record $768 million spend on Australian stories including Official Co-productions, and increased foreign production spend of $410 million.

The expenditure on Australian titles was the highest in the report’s 29 year history, driven by an all-time record spend on Australian television and a five-year high spend on Australian features.

The Drama Report measures the health of the Australian screen industry by detailing the production of local and foreign feature films, television, and online programs plus PDV (post, digital and visual effects) activity. ‘Drama’ refers to scripted narratives of any genre and the report tracks productions from the commencement of principal photography, with some titles yet to be released. PDV is reported using two different methods.

The 2018/19 record expenditure on Australian titles included 37 TV dramas such as The Hunting, Five Bedrooms and Total Control and their combined spend was $334 million, up 13% on last year and above the five-year average. Spend on Australian feature films was up 15% on last year to $299 million. 33 Australian feature films were made including True History of the Kelly Gang and I Am Woman which recently had their world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.

15 Australian children’s television programs went into production with $95 million spent on the likes of Bluey series 2, Alice Miranda Friends Forever and The Unlisted. This is the highest spend on children’s drama since 2008/09, and a 95% increase on last year.

28 Australian online drama titles with durations of half an hour or more went into production (up from 21 in 2017/18), collectively spending $40 million.

New South Wales accounted for the largest share of total expenditure in Australia (31%), closely followed by Victoria (30%), and then Queensland (24%). South Australia and Victoria set new records for expenditure in their states.

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts the Hon Paul Fletcher MP said, “Australia has a successful film and television industry that is undertaking significant business in the production of both local and foreign drama content. These excellent results are no accident, and are a reflection on the talent of our local film and television industry, the appeal of Australian filming locations, the Australian Government incentives available, state government support and direct funding from Screen Australia. The value of the Drama Report is that it now builds on 29 years of data, giving the Government and industry excellent insight into the health and trends of screen production in Australia.”

Of the titles featured in this year’s report that have already released, there have been a string of hits including The Hunting which became SBS’s most successful commissioned drama of all time, Disney’s acquisition of Bluey series one and two for international release and Channel Seven’s Ms Fisher’s MODern Murder Mysteries which has sold into 26 international territories. Web series Robbie Hood received wide critical acclaim, and was described as “the most perfect piece of TV you’ll see this year.” Feature True History of the Kelly Gang was snapped up by a US distributor IFC before it had even premiered at TIFF.

Michael Brealey, Chief Operating Officer of Screen Australia said, “To have 65% of total expenditure driven by our home grown stories is remarkable and illustrates the immense demand for Australian content.”

“It’s fantastic to see titles showcasing the diversity of landscapes and depth of talent from around the country. In the past 12 months H is for Happiness filmed in Western Australia’s Great Southern region, The Gloaming in Tasmania, Robbie Hood in Alice Springs, The Dry in regional Victoria, Stateless in Adelaide, Total Control in Canberra and Winton in Queensland, not to mention a second series of fan favourite Bluey being created in Brisbane.”

Television

Australian TV drama production had a record high $334 million spend, with 37 titles generating 441 hours of content produced. Hours were up on last year due to the production of longer-running mini-series such as My Life is Murder (10 episodes) and Les Norton (10 episodes). Across the total TV drama slate the hours, budgets, spend and average cost per hour for all titles increased year-on-year.

New titles in production included the forthcoming Upright for Foxtel, Stateless for ABC and The Secrets She Keeps for Network 10.

Children’s Television

15 children’s TV dramas entered production in 2018/19, including two Official Co-productions. Of the 15, seven were for the ABC, one for NITV, six for the commercial broadcasters and one for Foxtel. The 15 titles generated a five-year high of 132 hours of content at a total cost of $105 million. The number of titles, hours, budgets and spend for the total slate were all above the five year averages, and live action production significantly increased to 61 hours, the highest level since 2012/13.

As a first release broadcaster, the ABC commissioned nearly half of the 15 children’s TV titles in production including five live action titles Hardball, The Inbestigators, Itch, Mustangs FC series 2, and The Unlisted and two animations 100% Wolf and Bluey series 2. NITV was the first release broadcaster for the second series of Little J & Big Cuz. The series was also financed by the ABC.

Nine was the first release broadcaster for three titles including Alice Miranda Friends Forever. Seven was first release broadcaster for two titles, while Network 10 and Foxtel were first release broadcaster for one title each.

Content quotas on commercial free-to-air broadcasters are cyclical in nature with one and three-year requirements for children’s drama. The 2018 calendar year marked the beginning of a new three year cycle for first release Australian children’s drama requirements. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) tracks how each network complies with their content requirements.

Features

33 Australian features went into production including three Official Co-productions, with a spend of $299 million being driven by the production of titles including Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, The Dry and Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears. Three Official Co-productions started production in 2018/19 including Dirt Music (UK), Escape from Pretoria (UK) and Buckley’s Chance (Canada).

The 33 features that started production in 2018/19 had total budgets of $316 million, with the largest proportion (79%) being made for under $10 million. The 2018/19 feature slate saw fewer titles in both the upper and lower budget ranges with 6% of films made for under $1 million (20% in 2017/18) and 21% for over $10 million (25% in 2017/18).

Online

The Drama Report measures online dramas that were a single episode or series with total durations of 30 minutes or more that have premiered in Australia online. Online titles can premiere on social platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, subscription services such as Stan and Netflix, and broadcaster platforms such as ABC iview.

In 2018/19, 28 Australian titles were made for first release online including two single-episode and 26 series titles, an increase on last year’s 21 titles. Overall budgets remained steady at $53 million, however Australian spend of $40 million was down 25% on last year due to some titles spending a significant amount overseas.

Titles in production included ABC iview’s Content and Sarah’s Channel, Robbie Hood for SBS on Demand, Stan’s Bloom and The Other Guy series 2, and Australia/New Zealand Netflix Official Co-production – The New Legends of Monkey series 2. Titles made for release on YouTube included Aunty Donna’s Glennridge Secondary College and Canneseries Best Short Form Series winner, Over and Out.

Foreign Production

Total spend on foreign shoot and PDV-only titles totalled $410 million in 2018/19, more than three times higher than 2017/18 ($111 million), and well above the five-year average ($378 million). Causing this spike was expenditure of $297 million on 11 foreign titles shot in Australia including Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Monster Problems and Godzilla vs Kong. $113 million was also spent on 26 PDV-only titles, up 16% on 2017/18.

Foreign feature expenditure totalled $296 million in 2018/19, almost three times higher than last year. Contributing to the result were seven foreign features shot in Australia as well as 21 PDV-only features that included Men in Black: International, It: Chapter Two and Jumanji: The Next Level.

Total foreign TV drama activity accounted for $115 million in Australian expenditure in 2018/19, up significantly on 2017/18 ($4 million) and the strongest result in more than a decade. Nine titles contributed to the result, including five PDV-only titles, however the increase was driven by the second-highest spend on record for the four foreign TV series shot in Australia – Reef Break, Preacher series 4 (US), If Time Flows Back (China) and Nirasha (Sri Lanka).

Several factors contributed to the growth in foreign production such as the fall in the Australian dollar, the Federal Government’s $140 million Location Incentive announced in May 2018, and the introduction of 10% PDV rebates by the NSW and Queensland state governments. Victoria and South Australia also offer funding incentives that complement the 30% Federal PDV Offset. Additionally, the Australian Government announced in April 2019 that television series and mini-series for online streaming platforms are eligible for the Location and PDV Offsets. 

The Location Incentive has already had an impact on future production with six titles announced as shooting in Australia – Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Thor: Love and Thunder are headed for NSW, while TV series Shantaram and Clickbait will shoot in Victoria. The Federal Government has also announced it will be providing $30 million to Dick Cook Studios to shoot two new adventure/fantasy films, Ranger’s Apprentice and The Alchemyst in Victoria and other locations in Australia.

Post, digital and visual effects (PDV)

To provide a sense of the ongoing business activity of PDV companies in a given financial year, the PDV Services section towards the back of the Drama Report uses a different data timeline to the rest of the document. In this section, a project’s total PDV spend is reported as it occurs, rather than attributing the whole amount to the year in which work commenced.

PDV expenditure on Australian and foreign drama titles totalled $261 million, down 8% on last year but 6% above the five-year average. Driving the result was spend of $153 million on PDV on Australian titles, down 12% on last year’s nine year high, but 18% above the five-year average. Domestic titles generating PDV expenditure in 2018/19 included Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, Dirt Music, and Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan.

Screen Australia

Screen Australia’s Annual Report was tabled in Parliament on 22 October 2019, and revealed that the agency provided nearly $48 million in production funding for drama titles. That included $19.57 million for television drama, $13.98 million for features, $6.86 million for children’s television, $4.33 million for online productions and $3.23 million for Indigenous productions.

Additional funding was injected into the industry for drama development, documentary, talent development, distribution, international marketing, festivals and guild assistance, with nearly $76 million in direct funding flowing to the sector through Screen Australia in 2018/19.

Of the Australian productions tracked by the 2018/19 Drama Report, 61% of feature films, 54% of television shows, 60% of children’s television and 86% of online projects received production funding from Screen Australia.

Change log The original version of this media release said that one of the factors contributing to the growth in foreign production is the introduction of 10% PDV rebates by the NSW and Queensland state governments, “to match those already offered by Victoria and South Australia.” This text was amended on 31 October 2019 to clarify that the incentives offered by each state are not identical.

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