The Federal Government has announced its anticipated arts rescue package, rolling out a suite of measures totalling $250 million, including a $50 million fund for screen production to be administered by Screen Australia.
The ABC will cut the commissioning of independent production by about $5 million a year from July and rebrand the ABC Comedy channel to encompass genres such as arts, science, education and religion.
Following long-standing advocacy efforts, the ABC and SBS will officially launch audio description services this week, making their programs more accessible to the more than 450,000 Australians who are blind or vision-impaired.
Arenamedia and a broad coalition of industry players have called on the Federal Government to create an Innovation Fund to support new and emerging talent and diverse creative voices.
Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) council chair Russel Howcroft has been re-appointed for a second three-year term, while Fremantle Asia-Pacific CEO Chris Oliver-Taylor has joined the council.
Australia's largest production houses and a number of independent producers have asked Prime Minister Scott Morrison for urgent funding to help the industry get back on its feet.
Financial support from the Federal Government for the hundreds of thousands of screen industry practitioners who lost their jobs during the pandemic could be imminent.
The ABC is being pressured by the Federal Government to ask staff to forgo for six months a 2 per cent pay rise which was due to come into effect in October.