In its submission, the ABC intends next year to increase its funding of locally-produced drama by a modest 26.5 hours – 12 hours of drama, 13 hours of children’s drama, and one-and-a-half hours for family drama. Alliance director of Equity Simon Whipp says, “The submission says the ABC will fund, on average over the three years, an extra 57 hours of additional production, split between drama, arts and documentary production. That is not nearly enough to reverse what is already an appalling downturn in the production of television drama in Australia. The ABC’s submission is a national shame,” Whipp said.

The bright orange Unions NSW 'Your Rights At Work' tour bus visits communities in northern NSW from Sunday September 18. With visits to cities, towns and workplaces scheduled across the week long tour, Unions NSW be explaining the impact of the proposed changes to workplace laws and listening to the concerns of community members.

A Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance  delegation will take the global protest against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which locked-out its 5,500 employees over a contract dispute on August 15, to the Canadian High Commission in Canberra on Monday, September 12. More than four weeks after CBC’s unprecedented decision to lock out thousands of workers and use BBC content to fill programming gaps, the collective agreement dispute seems no closer to resolution.

A South Australian Industrial Relations Court decision this week has highlighted the existing disadvantages of employment under individual contracts. Under proposed changes to workplace legislation these will only be exacerbated, reducing standards of pay and leave entitlements further.