#SaveKidsTV Campaign Kicks Off Down Under

The Australian Greens political party has launched the #SaveKidsTV initiative to defend children’s storytelling in the country, with Screen Producers Australia among those pledging support to the cause.

#SaveKidsTV aims to protect the children’s television industry in Australia by highlighting the challenges that the sector faces from such streaming services as Netflix and Stan, while also pushing for the government to strengthen the requirements of broadcasters to produce and air high-quality, locally made kids’ programming in the country.

“Australian children’s television is in a fight for its life,” said Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens’ arts and youth spokesperson.

“Children’s television has played a crucial role in our country and the development of young Australians for generations, but the media landscape is undoubtedly shifting.

“New players like Netflix and Stan have changed the way that all of us, including young people, consume media and they can’t be allowed to leave children’s TV behind.

“In an ever-connected and global world, our children need safe places where they can see their own world reflected back to help them make sense of it. Every culture needs to tell their own stories, for learning and reflection; quality children’s TV is one way of helping our kids to make sense of what it means to be Australian and how we connect with each other and those beyond our borders.

“It’s disappointing to see the major television channels trying to get out of their obligations to make high-quality children’s programs simply because they can’t compete for ratings with the likes of MasterChef and Married at First Sight.

“The Greens will be moving in the Senate to support children’s television in Australia and strengthen the requirements for our broadcasters.

“From Bananas in Pyjamas to the legendary Round the Twist, high-quality Australian-made children’s television has always played an important role in shaping young hearts and minds in this country.

“Parents know Australian children’s programming is too important to lose, and that’s why we will fight to #SaveKidsTV.”

Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner expressed his support for the #SaveKidsTV campaign in a statement on the organization’s website:

“Australia produces world-class children’s content that is loved by Australian children and their parents. We make great stories like Lockie Leonard, Mako Mermaids, Beat Bugs and Dance Academy, in part, because of a set [of] obligations on commercial television broadcasters and well-funded public broadcasters. Removing these obligations on commercial broadcasters, together with any withdrawal of support from the public broadcasters, will mean Australian children’s content just won’t get made. Australian children deserve access to high-quality Australian stories that are targeted to their different stages of development.

“The answer isn’t devolution, it’s evolution. We can’t leave the responsibilities to children’s programming to the public broadcasters. It takes a village to raise a child. We need to evolve the regulatory environment to reflect the current market and include obligations on SVOD services like Netflix and Amazon.

“The U.K. reduced children’s obligations on commercial broadcasters in 2003. That led to a 93 percent decline in the industry. This month, the U.K. government admitted it made a mistake and is re-introducing their obligations. The Australian government doesn’t have the same luxury to make a mistake now and fix it later because if the content quotas are removed, they can’t be brought back because of our free trade agreement with the United States.

“We want Australian stories on Australian screens. We want Australian children dreaming Australian dreams. We can’t sleepwalk into a nightmare situation where no Australian children’s content gets produced and our children don’t see themselves reflected [on] our screens.

“It’s great Senator Hanson-Young and the Australian Greens are committed to strengthening children’s content in the Senate—I call on the government to do the same.”