Why children’s content should be included in the new National Cultural Policy

After being elected in May, the Albanese Government announced it would be developing a new cultural policy for the decade ahead, to be shaped by Australia’s arts, entertainment and cultural sector. 

When launching the Federal Government’s Arts Policy, the now Minister for the Arts Tony Burke noted:

“…creativity that comes from this land isn’t important simply based on whether the rest of the world takes notice.

It isn’t important simply because of its commercial value, although the economic contribution of our creatives is immense.

To Australians, our creativity should matter simply because it’s ours. It happens here. Its roots drive deep into our home. Our stories matter because they are ours.”

By committing to reinstate an Australian Cultural Policy within the year, ensuring First Nations will be the first pillar of this policy, and undertaking extensive consultation with all sectors of our vast creative industries, the government is sending positive signals about its understanding of the importance of the arts for our nation. 

The Australian Children’s Television Foundation is committed to supporting and distributing content that will bolster a child’s own sense of identity, as well as to encourage them to walk in someone else’s shoes.  But changes to local content quotas for commercial networks have resulted in much poorer uptake in Australian children’s content on our free to air channels. Currently none of the broadcasters or platforms that children turn to for entertainment, including public broadcasters, have any obligations to children’s content. In short, the future of Australian kids’ content is precarious.   

Despite the success and acclaim of Australian children’s shows, they do not attract the same level of investment from broadcasters as adult drama.  This is the clearest example of market failure in the Australian screen industry, and means children’s content is particularly vulnerable to disappearing from our screens without explicit advocacy from organisations like the ACTF. 

Over the years, successive Commonwealth Governments have put in place policies, regulations, incentives and direct funding that support our screen industry, with special consideration given to children’s content to acknowledge the formative impact these programs have on our young people.  As a result, Australian children’s shows are among the best in the world, and are beloved by children and young people in over 190 countries. 

The production of children’s content also plays a vital role in the screen sector eco-system, employing people all over Australia, including in the regions, and offering career pathways and training that are not available on other types of production. Many of our most skilled practitioners on camera and behind the scenes have learned their craft on a children’s television project.

It is pleasing to see the new government placing significant emphasis on the importance of Australian stories.  At the ACTF, we know how critical it is that children see themselves reflected in media on all platforms they engage with.  Our diverse slate of supported programs showcases the vastness of this country and the people within it, from the multicultural streets of Western Sydney in Hardball and the suburbs of Adelaide in LGBTIQA+ drama First Day (both of which have won the International Emmy Kids Award), to the adventurous terrain of the Top End in Barrumbi Kids. 

There is enormous public value in ensuring screen content that speaks directly to Australian children and reflects Australian themes, culture, language and social values.  This is especially important during the formative years of a child’s life when they’re developing their values, identity and self-esteem.  In the ACTF’s National Cultural Policy Submission, we propose simple and effective inclusions to embed world class children’s content in our screen industry for decades to come. 

The ACTF has recommended that the Government:

• Showcase and support First Nations content made by First Nations artists;
• Ensure all content service providers have obligations to Australian audiences to screen local stories, with the same treatment for all commercial platforms;
• Provide unique funding assistance for children’s screen content to recognise its importance and vulnerability within the screen ecosystem;
• Ensure that “a place for every story” includes stories for our children through regulation and support for children’s content and new artists;
• Support strong institutions with obligations to the child audience, including providing sufficient funding to our public broadcasters, which are the unwavering champions of Australian content;
• Ensure Australian children can find Australian content on all platforms they engage with; and
• Recognise the unique opportunities provided to screen practitioners through the production of children’s content.

The ACTF has demonstrated over the past 40 years that children’s television is a cornerstone of our screen industry – and one of Australia’s most successful media exports.  The programs we make and sell are embraced all over the world, and replayed for years or even decades.  Our current offerings have never been more diverse, with shows like Little J & Big Cuz and Thalu introducing the next generation to the deep history and culture of our First Nations peoples.  And with the right support from governments across the nation, led by the Commonwealth, this is only the beginning of what we can achieve in a world where screen content is more accessible than ever.

If the government adopts the ACTF’s recommendations, it will be well on the way to ensuring the future of the Australian children’s television industry for decades to come. 

To read the ACTF’s submission to the government’s National Cultural Policy, click here.