It’s been a busy time behind the scenes at the ASSG with judging now completed for the 2024 awards and preparations under way for the Adelaide event on November 30. Congratulations to all the nominees and my apologies to anyone whose name I mangled while reading them out. Feel free to correct my pronunciation in person at the awards!

As much as we love them, the ASSG isn’t just about the awards.

Over the last few months the ASSG has been engaging with various levels of government and screen agencies to elevate the needs of our sector.

July 1 was the proposed date for legislating quotas for the streaming services. As you probably know, the date came and went and no legislation has been tabled. I contacted Office of Minister for the Arts but have received no specific response. I have also contacted the office of my local member, Stephen Jones, to request a meeting to discuss this issue in person and keep applying pressure.

AI continues as an endless topic of concern and excitement for our sector. I wrote to parliament via the MEAA campaign to demand legislation be drafted in response to AI, and did hear back from Greens Senator David Shoebridge. A parliamentary inquiry into AI is under way – Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) – and we will be tracking results of this and keep the membership informed of any developments that may affect us.

In September I participated in a lengthy roundtable focus group for Creative Australia with representatives from ASE, APDG, ADG. We discussed the challenges each of our sectors face and gave opinions as to how policy might be guided to bring about a more sustainable industry into the future, covering topics such as improved funding, regional opportunities, career ready training, workplace wellbeing and direct engagement with the guilds to ensure meaningful policy outcomes for our members.

Also in September, the NT government held the NT Screen Summit, a two day event in Darwin bringing together Australian industry leaders and NT screen practitioners. Screen Territory is keen to grow the screen industry in the NT and the ASSG was there bring our considerable expertise and skills base to the table. It’s an exciting time to connect with, and grow, the screen sector in the the far north of the country. Emma Bortignon represented the ASSG and you can read her full report below.

Last weekend the ASSG was represented at High Score in Melbourne. The ASSG and AGSC were invited to attend the two day event exploring the world of sound and music for the games world. I had a brilliant time and came away ready to explore new immersive audio techniques. You can read the full report below.

We’re cooking up events for our members to connect but remember we love to hear from you with event suggestions! It can be a simple social event or a technical deep dive, if you have an event idea, let us know, and we can help fund and promote it.

That’s all from me, enjoy the newsletter and see you at the awards on November 30 in Adelaide (Radelaide?)

Nigel Christensen
ASSG President