Sally Neighbour’s The Mother of Mohammed – the portrait of a matriarch among terrorists, Gerard Ryle’s Firepower – an investigation of the Firepower scandal and Graham Freudenberg’s Churchill and Australia – a study of Winston Churchill’s relationship with Australia, are all in the running for the prestigious Walkley Non-fiction Book Award. The three finalists, chosen from a field of more than 70, were announced at the Book Kitchen in Sydney’s Surry Hills this week. The winner will be announced at the Walkley Awards on November 26. More details at www.walkleys.com

Screen Australia staff have voted overwhelmingly in favour (105 for, one against) their new Enterprise Agreement, which improves pay, parental leave and brings all staff under one set of rates and conditions. The agreement, which the Alliance has been negotiating since the beginning of the year, has now gone to Fair Work Australia for final approval and once this process is complete, staff will receive their 3.5 per cent pay rise. Congratulations to all Alliance members who worked with their union throughout the long negotiation process.

Congratulations to all prize winners at Saturday’s 2009 WA Media Ball & Awards. The West’s Gary Adshead and Sean Cowan won this year’s top award, The Daily News Centenary Prize, and dedicated their win to the late News Ltd political columnist Matt Price, whose work inspired journalists everywhere. West editor Brett McCarthy immediately offered to sponsor a new prize next year to honour Matt’s memory. Full list of winners follows.

When asked to nominate the actor whose career they would most like to emulate, Australia’s performers were unanimous – long-time stage stalwart, Peter Carroll came up time and time again. Actors Equity has named Carroll as the recipient of its inaugural Equity Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by FOXTEL.
Equity president, Simon Burke, said: “This award is about us acknowledging our own and as such it's hard to imagine a more worthy recipient of the inaugural Equity Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by FOXTEL. Peter is the actors' actor - a performer who throughout his entire career has been bold and brilliant in his work, generous and inspiring with his mentorship, dedicated and fearless when it comes to protecting the rights at work of performers, and most importantly fun in the dressing room.”

Read full press release here.
 

The Alliance welcomes news that the past year has been strong for the Australian film and television industry. Screen Australia’s National Survey of Feature Film and TV, released yesterday, reveals that the local production slate included 38 features and 653 hours of television drama with a total value of $668 million - up by $3 million on the year previous. “The total annual film and television drama slate spend of $668 million is well above the five year industry average, which is particularly good news given the fall in the foreign spend in Australia,” said Alliance Assistant Federal Secretary, Simon Whipp.

Over the past 10 months the Alliance has been meeting with screen technicians about the freelance crew agreement. As you may know the Motion Picture Production Agreement (MPPA) sets the minimum conditions for crew working as freelancers in film and TV. The MPPA is about to be renegotiated and the new agreement will set the minimum standards for the future.

More than 300 people have signed the Alliance’s Fight For Four petition since it was launched last week to show their support for our campaign to bring back theatre workers’ four hour minimum call. The Industrial Relations Commission recently reduced it to three hours. For many casual theatre workers this change, which is due to be introduced at the beginning of next year, will mean a 25 per cent pay cut! To register your support make sure you sign the petition here before it is delivered to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and Federal Government.

Applications for Equity’s Casting Hothouse close this Thursday, October 29! For your chance to learn new audition and accent skills from the likes of vice president of casting at CBS/Paramount Network Television, Matt Skrobalak, and US feature film casting director, Margery Simkinis, click here to apply. Attendees will be selected by ballot.