A place for every story: Why children should be at the heart of Australia’s National Cultural Policy

The Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) has issued a call to action in its submission to the Commonwealth Government’s National Cultural Policy consultation. At a time when online platforms and algorithms are reshaping how children experience culture, stories and one another, the policy must put children and young people at its centre and support their developing identities, social connections, creativity and sense of belonging.

Too often, children are given second best, and the people and organisations creating content for them are expected to do more with less. Children are relegated to the room at the back of the museum, the single show in a crowded theatre season, the screen category broadcasters value least. This policy is an opportunity to reverse that thinking and place arts and culture for children and young people where they belong: at the centre.

Children’s screen content, one of the most vulnerable forms of screen production globally, is essential cultural infrastructure.

Australia has a proud legacy of world-class children’s television, built through public funding, regulation and institutional support. But that framework, designed for the broadcast era, has broken down in a fragmented global on-demand market. Broadcasters and streaming services now face no obligations to commission or screen Australian children’s content, while production costs continue to rise and licence fees lag behind. The result is a growing funding gap and a shrinking pipeline of new work.

In this environment, the ACTF has become a critical stabilising force: investing in development and production, brokering partnerships with public broadcasters and streaming platforms, supporting digital-first content, and ensuring Australian children’s stories remain visible, viable and valued. Recent ACTF-supported projects include the ABC series Tales from Outer Suburbia, Knee High Spies, Caper Crew and the upcoming Little Lunch: New Class; the Stan films Windcatcher and Whale Shark Jack, with a third film now in production; and the First Nations series Little J & Big Cuz and Eddie’s Lil’ Homies for NITV.

A critical opportunity

Australian children’s screen content delivers an outsized return across the screen ecosystem, advancing all five pillars of the National Cultural Policy while generating broader public value with every dollar invested.

The National Cultural Policy presents a clear opportunity: recognise children and young people as a core cultural audience, treat children’s screen content as essential cultural infrastructure, and apply coordinated policy levers across funding, regulation, discoverability and tax settings to secure its future.

The ACTF recommends:

• Add a new pillar, Next Generation Now, to embed children and young people in the National Cultural Policy;
• Recognise the role of public broadcasters in commissioning Australian screen content and provide dedicated funding for children’s content;
• Increase investment in the ACTF;
• Improve the visibility and discoverability of Australian children’s programs across all platforms;
• Incentivise streaming services to make a meaningful contribution to children’s content creation.

Looking ahead

At its best, children’s screen content builds self-esteem, supports social and emotional development, inspires creativity and fosters connection. It creates shared moments for families and communities, reflects the diversity of contemporary Australia, and builds empathy, resilience and cultural understanding. It helps shape a culture that reflects who we are and who we want to be.

But children’s screen content will not survive without greater investment, deliberate support and strong policy settings. In a global, algorithm-driven media environment, Australian children need better access to stories that reflect their lives, communities and culture.

Placing children and young people at the centre of cultural policy is not just an investment in one audience; it is an investment in Australia’s cultural future.

You can view the ACTF’s full submission here.