On 1 July 2008, Screen Australia commenced operation as the main Australian government agency supporting the screen production industry. This article considers some of the policy issues and challenges identified by the ‘community of practitioners’ as facing Australian documentary production at the time of the formation of that ‘super-agency’ from the merger of its three predecessor organisations — the Australian Film Commission, the Film Finance Corporation and Film Australia. The article proceeds by sketching the history of documentary production in Australia and identifying the bases of its financial and regulatory supports. It also surveys recent debate in the documentary sector and attempts to contextualise the themes of those discussions within the history of the Australian documentary.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Anonymous2007, on Australian Documentary Film Makers Policy Forum, 2 August.
2.
Australian Broadcasting Authority2004, Documentary Guidelines, Information Paper, ABA, Sydney.
Australian Directors Guild2007, media release, 8 August.
5.
Australian Film Commission2000, ‘Submission to Australian Broadcasting Authority's Investigation into Expenditure Requirement for Pay TV Documentary Channels’, AFC, Sydney.
6.
Australian Film Commission2002, ‘Supplementary Submission to the Australian Broadcasting Authority Review of the Australian Content Standard: Documentary’, AFC, Sydney.
7.
Australian Film Commission2004, ‘Submission to the Australian Broadcasting Authority: Documentary Guidelines — Draft: Interpretation of “Documentary for the Australian Content Standard”’, AFC, Sydney.
8.
Australian Film Commission2006, ‘Submission to the Department of Communications, Information Technology and Arts Review of Australian Government Film Funding Support’, AFC, Sydney.
9.
Australian Film Commission2008, Documentary Production in Australia: A Collection of Key Data, www.afc.gov.au/GTP/DOCOS
10.
BarnouwErik1993, Documentary: A History of the Non-fiction Film, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
11.
BeilbyP.LansellR. (eds) 1982, The Documentary Film in Australia, Cinema Papers in association with Film Victoria, Melbourne.
12.
BrownMurray1987, Australian Documentary Programs, Discussion Paper, Australian Content Inquiry, ABT, Sydney.
ConnollySharon2007, on Australian Documentary Film Makers Policy Forum, 13 July.
15.
CooperRoss1965, The Australian Film Industry, BA Hons dissertation, Australian National University, Canberra.
16.
CordellMichael2007, on Australian Documentary Film Makers Policy Forum, 2 August.
17.
CornerJohn2000, ‘Documentary in a Post Documentary Culture? A Note on Forms and their Functions’, European Science Foundation, Changing Media — Changing Europe, Citizenship and Consumerism, Working Paper no. 1.
AustraliaFilm2008, ‘doco2012: Documentary and the Digital Future’, www.doco2012.com.au
21.
FitzsimonsTrish2002, ‘Accords, Slates, Slots, Strands and Series: Australian Television Takes on Independent Documentary’, Metro, nos 131–32, pp. 172–83.
MoranAlbertO'ReganTom (eds) 1985, An Australian Film Reader, Currency Press, Sydney.
38.
NashtSimon2007, ‘How to Kill Australian Documentary’, in Australian Directors Guild Newsletter, on Australian Documentary Film Makers Policy Forum, 10 October.
39.
NicholsBill2001, Introduction to Documentary, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN.
O'ReganTomGoldsmithBen2006, ‘Making Cultural Policy: Meeting Cultural Objectives in a Digital Environment’, Television and New Media, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 68–91.
42.
O'RourkeDenis2007, on Australian Documentary Film Makers Policy Forum, 2 August.
43.
PapandreaF.A.1997, Cultural Regulation of Australian Television Programs, Bureau of Transport and Communications Economic Occasional Paper 114, AGPS, Canberra.
44.
MichaelRenov (ed.) 1993, Theorizing Documentary, AFI Film Readers, Routledge, New York.
45.
RoscoeJane2004, ‘Television: Friend or Foe of Australian Documentary?’Media, Culture & Society, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 288–95.
