Where do the parties stand on creative and media policy?

As part of MEAA's Raise Our Voices campaign for comprehensive reform and investment in our industries, MEAA wrote to the ALP, the Liberal party, the Nationals and the Greens in March asking for a commitment to our agenda which included:

- Meaningfully building on the five pillars of the Revive national cultural policy,
- Taking on the big monopolies in the screen, recorded and live performance sectors,
- Investing in public interest journalism,
- Guarantee of freedom from political interference in the media and creative industries and
- Regulation on AI to ensure control, compensation and consent for creative and media workers.

This week the ALP and the Greens replied, and we have detailed MEAA’s views on the respective party’s policies by topic below.

There was no response from the Liberal or National parties.

MEAA will be taking our policy platform to all members of the next parliament, regardless of the which party forms government. Our members’ demands must be heard and understood by all decision makers.

Australian Labor Party

The ALP’s response to our policy agenda is based on a commitment to continuing the work already begun during the last term of government. Whilst future policy is lacking in specific detail, MEAA broadly supports the policy settings put in place over the past term of government and will seek to substantially build upon them should the ALP be returned to government.

With the foundations being put in place to restore funding and confidence in our industries we want to see the next term of government guided by an ambition to move beyond merely sustaining our industries to ensuring that they are more fully able to grow and play their role in informing and inspiring our society.

Australian Greens

The Greens have committed to a number of significant reforms that would help revitalise our creative and media industries. Whilst similarly lacking in detail, we particularly welcome their commitments to securing the sustainability of the arts and the independence of the media and we look forward to engaging with them constructively over the next term of government.

National Cultural Policy - Revive

Labor

MEAA welcomes the commitment of the ALP to continue the project of rebuilding Australia’s arts and creative industries through the renewal of the national cultural policy Revive for another five-year cycle. We look forward to participating in this work to ensure Australia’s creative workers can enjoy meaningful and secure careers as they continue to tell Australia’s stories.

Greens

We welcome the Greens’ commitment to MEAA’s demand for fair pay for performers by legislating the $250 minimum performance fee for artists at publicly funded events.

First Nations Creative Policy

Labor

While we note the progress that has been made in expanding self-determination and strengthening the capacity of First Nations creative workers, we believe that the next iteration of the national cultural policy must ensure that First Nations Australians have meaningful control over their artforms, lore and cultural practices. This includes protecting cultural and intellectual property and handing control of First Nations community arts programs over to these communities.

Greens

We acknowledge the commitment by the Greens to introduce an Act to protect First Nations cultural heritage, intellectual property and knowledge. We welcome the Greens’ commitment to ensuring that this act is co-designed with First-Nations people and we look forward to engaging with them through our First Nations member-led caucus ICMEAA.

Local Content Quotas for Streaming

Labor

We welcome the comments of the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese affirming the party’s support for local content in streaming service and we look forward to working constructively with them to implement meaningful local content quotas in streaming should they be returned to government.

Greens

We welcome the Greens’ firm commitment to local content quotas that require streaming services to invest 20% of their Australian subscriber revenue into locally made and owned content.

Funding National Cultural and Performing Arts Institutions

Labor

Over the past term of government, the ALP has made considerable inroads into restoring adequate funding to the arts and creative industries through the creation of Creative Australia and the expansion of the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework.

We would like to see more ambition from the ALP to secure the future of our most important cultural and performing arts institutions not just so they are able to survive year-to-year, but so they can grow and expand their contribution to our society.

Greens

MEAA welcomes the Greens’ commitment to invest $50 million per year into an Australian stories fund. We look forward to engaging with the Greens to seek further details of their proposed fund.

Supporting Public Interest Journalism

Labor

MEAA acknowledges the ALP’s commitment to a four-year investment in the News Media Assistance Program as well as continued commitments to First Nations and Community Broadcasting.

MEAA welcomes the commitment by the ALP to implement five-year funding cycles for the ABC and SBS. However, we continue our call for the ALP to commit to restoring funding our national broadcasters in real terms.

Greens

MEAA acknowledges the Greens’ commitment to five-year funding cycles for community broadcasting. We look forward to engaging with the Greens to seek further details of this proposal.

MEAA welcomes the Greens’ commitment to supporting the full restoration of funding to the ABC and SBS.

Guaranteeing freedom from political interference in the media

Labor

MEAA acknowledges the commitment by the ALP to deliver on reforms of the Public Interest Disclosure Act that were begun in the last term of government and to progressing a second round of reforms on expanding whistleblower protections.

Greens

MEAA acknowledges the Greens’ principled position regarding defending the freedom of the press.

However we note the Greens’ commitment to enact a media regulator and a Media Freedom Act, and we raise our concerns about any commitment to legislating standards in the media that are not guided by the media workforce themselves. We look forward to engaging with the Greens on this policy area in the next term of government.

Guaranteeing freedom from political interference in the arts

Whilst we acknowledge the aim of Creative Australia to be a genuinely independent arts funding body who can make decisions arm’s length of government. We remain deeply concerned about recent controversies surrounding Creative Australia and the ongoing erosion of trust that this is having between it and the Australian artistic and cultural community.

We are committed to working with all parties and MPs to help restore trust and confidence in Creative Australia.

Regulating AI

Labor

MEAA acknowledges the ALP’s commitment to see-through the legislative processes that they began last term to develop regulation of AI across our society and the economy. We reiterate our support for a comprehensive economy-wide AI Act.

Greens

MEAA welcomes the Greens’ proposal to introduce a Digital Service levy on Big Tech companies as one way of recuperating lost income because of AI theft. We look forward to receiving more detail about their proposals for an Independent Digital Rights Commissioner.