Australian state agency Screen New South Wales has announced that all TV drama series must now include women in key creative roles in order to receive financing. It’s a huge step towards gender equality for Australian TV.
According to IF Magazine online, CEO Courtney Gibson said of the push, “Production companies, broadcasters, and other screen organizations have been incredibly supportive and we’re starting to see real impact as a result. But in order to move the needle even further, going forward, it will be a requirement for any television drama series to include female writers and/or directors and/or producers to secure development or production finance from us.” She explained, “If we are to achieve gender parity in our industry, we need to ensure there is equity of opportunity for women, and increased opportunities for people from other under-represented groups in the community.”
Screen NSW won’t “sponsor, support, or participate in any initiative, event, conference, market, or festival which include all-male panels and don’t foster female participation and diversity more broadly.”
“Sad to say, even with all the work and discussion around gender and diversity, you still see all-male panels at events in our industry — in 2016! If event organizers and screen industry organizations are to obtain financial support from Screen NSW they will need to guarantee participation by women and other under-represented groups,” Gibson added.
The company has also announced a new set of initiatives for women writers, directors, and producers that will pair them with production companies or projects already in the works.