MEAA Equity members have put forward a comprehensive agenda to secure the future for Australian actors on film and TV.

Negotiations for industry standard screen agreements between MEAA Equity on behalf of performers and Screen Producers Australia (SPA) on behalf of producers are underway. The agreements affected are:

• Australian Feature Films Collective Agreement
• Australian Television Performers Agreement

To keep up with and participate in discussions about negotiations, make sure your MEAA Equity membership is up to date: contact MEAA’s Member Services Team on 1300 65 65 13 or members@meaa.org.

Our Agenda

MEAA Equity members want sustainable careers for actors, stunt performers and extras as part of a healthy screen industry that tells Australian stories for audiences in Australia and around the world. That means achieving balance between the demands of the industry and the needs of performers.

Members have identified key areas in industry standard agreements that need to be strengthened and modernised to achieve that balance.

• Consent, compensation and protections relating to the use of AI
• Updates to pay, penalties, super and calls, including increasing minimum pay to keep up with the cost of living
• Fair pay and protections for child actors
• Better safeguards and compensation for actors when options are exercised
• Updated and more transparent residuals for film, including use on SVOD/streamers
• Stronger cultural provisions, including First Nations protocols and intellectual property, and recognition of cultural consultation and culturally traumatic stories
• Better compensation for stunt performers
• Security for safety measures at work, including intimacy guidelines, cultural and psychosocial safety, fatigue management, and minimum standards for on-set facilities such as adequate shelter, amenities and catering for extras and appropriate policies for working in extreme weather
• Stopping the use of fine print in employment contracts that erodes the pay, protections and working conditions that the performer is entitled to in our industry standard agreements

MEAA’s claims are based on from feedback from MEAA Equity members and their agents and are endorsed by the National Performers Committee of MEAA.  See the full list of claims here.

MEAA Equity Screen Negotiations Committee

MEAA Equity members will be represented in negotiations by the screen negotiations committee made up of elected National Performers Committee members, MEAA Equity members who have volunteered to contribute, and relevant MEAA staff. Any final agreement with SPA is subject to endorsement from the National Performers Committee (NPC) and a vote of all financial MEAA Equity members.

If you want to get involved in the negotiations or help keep members up to date, contact your local MEAA Equity organiser or MEAA Members Services Team at members@meaa.org or 1300 65 65 13.