OPEN LETTER FIFTY OF ’S LEADING WRITERS FOR STAGE AND SCREEN ADD THEIR VOICE TO OPPOSE PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS ON COPYRIGHT IN AUSTRALIA. Did you love , Offspring, Rake, Emerald City, The Drover’s Wife, Red Dog, Away, Animal Kingdom or ? Or , , , Don’s Party, Muriel’s Wedding or Babe? As writers telling some of Australia’s best-loved stories across stage and screen, we the undersigned unanimously reject the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on copyright in Australia. The recommendations to relax copyright protections are straight out of the Big Tech playbook and will harm the ability of Australia’s home-grown writers to tell Australian stories and make a living. Australian writers have a right to receive fair payment for their work and to work in a thriving industry with the ability to invest in the Australian story-telling that entertains millions of people each week on stage and on screen. The changes to Australian copyright laws being pushed by the Productivity Commission, large organisations and big technology companies will threaten our jobs, the jobs of future writers, and the livelihood of our industry. Australian kids should be able to grow up inspired and entertained by our stories and our culture. However, these changes are a threat to the creation of Australian movies, TV shows and plays and mean it may be even harder to make a living for the next generation of writers, playwrights and screenwriters. At a time when jurisdictions around the world are reviewing the impact of major technology companies on cultural production, we call on the Australian Government and parliament to protect Australian stories and rule out the Productivity’s Commissions proposed changes. SIGNED

Geoffrey Atherden AM Beyond the Neck) Moulin Rouge!) (Mother & Son, Grass Roots) Laura Jones (Angela’s Ashes, Jacquelin Perske (The Secret Van Badham (The Bull, the Moon Oscar and Lucinda) Life Of Us, , Seven and the Coronet of Stars, Poster Lally Katz (Neighbourhood Watch, Types Of Ambiguity) Girl) Back at the Dojo) Lachlan Philpott (Bison, Nicki Bloom (Tender, Little Bird) Daniel Keene (Terminus, Silent Disco) (The Secret River, The Nightwatchman) (The Drover’s Wife, Lantana) Andrew Knight (Rake, ) Tony Briggs () SeaChange, Hacksaw Ridge) (Hotel Sorrento, Neil Cole (The Trial of Adolph Josh Lawson (The Little Death, Life After George) Eichmann, Alive at Williamstown Comedy Inc) Mira Robertson (Head On, Pier) Vicki Madden (The Kettering The Book of Revelation) (Happy Feet, Master Incident, Blood Brothers) Steve Rodgers (Ray’s Tempest, and Commander) Peter Mattessi (EastEnders, Savage River) Robert Connolly (Paper Planes) Neighbours) Jan Sardi (Shine, The Notebook, Alison Croggon (The Riders, The Tony McNamara (Puberty Blues, Mao’s Last Dancer) Bone Queen) ) Anne-Louise Sarks (Medea, Sarah Dollard (Doctor Who) Pete McTighe (Wentworth, The Nest) Peter Duncan (Rake) Neighbours) Samantha Strauss (Dance Stephan Elliot (The Adventures of Ian Meadows (Between Two Academy) Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) Waves, House Husbands) Katherine Thompson (Diving for Aidan Fennessy (The Way Things Ross Mueller (Concussion, Pearls, G.P.) Work, National Interest) The Glory) Keith Thompson (The Sapphires, Louise Fox (Glitch, Broadchurch, Kate Mulvany (The Seed, Paper Giants) Star Wars) Jasper Jones) Alana Valentine (Letters to Lindy, Peter Gawler (Underbelly, Tommy Murphy (Holding the Man, Parramatta Girls) Wolf Creek) Mark Colvin’s Kidney) Anthony Weigh (Like a Fishbone, Michael Gow (Away, Once in Joanna Murray-Smith Edward II) Royal David’s City) (Switzerland, Love Child) Matthew Whittet (Girl Asleep, Shaun Grant (Snowtown, Jasper Chris Noonan (Babe, Vietnam) Seventeen) Jones) Nick Parsons (Dead Heart, David Williamson AO Declan Greene (The Plague My Place) (Don’s Party, The Removalists) Cycle, Pompeii LA) (Strictly Ballroom, Tom Holloway (Storm Boy, The Great Gatsby, FREE IS NOT FAIR. Go to freeisnotfair.org.au for more details. Join the conversation using #freeisnotfair.