Thank you Aunty Rhonda for that generous Welcome to Country. As Aunty Rhonda noted – I come from Dharug land in the Blue Mountains. My electorate covers the Gundungurra as well as Darkinjung. I pay my respects to traditional lands that we are gathered on and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have shared their stories, their songs, their art, their culture with us. And we're so privileged to have that legacy and for it to continue into the future.

It is a privilege to join you for the Actors Equity Awards and it’s a pleasure to be here not just as Special Envoy for the Arts, but as a proud member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

I have been a member since the early-80s – it was the Australian Journalist Association when I first joined - along with my husband, as journalists, and for a moment in time some years ago both my kids were members, so I value highly the role of the MEAA.

The awards being presented tonight occupy a special place in our cultural life because they recognise something fundamental about performance itself: that even the most remarkable individual performance is built on trust, collaboration and collective effort.

In this year’s finalists, we see the extraordinary breadth of Australian ensembled performances - from established performers and emerging talent; different stories, different genres, different platforms and different creative voices, united by a shared commitment to excellence and collective endeavour. And tonight, of course, we celebrate the lifetime achievement of one person, and I'm looking forward to hearing some stories, I hope that will fill in some of the gaps I might have, about, that long journey - so, Don, so wonderful to be sharing this with you.

Tonight celebrates excellence on the small screen and I love that these awards are peer-judged, by people who understand the years spent learning your craft, honing your creative instincts, taking risks and persevering through uncertainty.

People who appreciate the countless auditions, the months between contracts, the rejections that arrive before that one role that changes everything.

And for all the challenges that you in the industry face, it’s so important to have a strong and vocal union.

Talent alone cannot sustain a career. Experience alone cannot guarantee fair treatment. And passion alone cannot pay the bills.

For more than 75 years, Equity has stood beside Australian performers, improving wages, conditions and opportunities.

Long before streaming platforms, before pay TV, before anyone had heard the phrase “content creator”, Equity was arguing for fair pay, Australian employment opportunities and protections for performers.

It has fought for minimum rates, rehearsal pay, residuals, safe workplaces and fair treatment.

It has advocated tirelessly for Australian stories and Australian jobs and it continues to do that work today.

I also want to acknowledge the valuable contribution MEAA made to the development of the Albanese Government’s first National Cultural Policy, Revive.

It is a stronger policy because of MEAA’s advocacy and I have no doubt that the next cultural policy, in process now, will also benefit from your insight and foresight.

One of central principles of Revive is that artists are workers and that arts jobs are real jobs.

That sounds obvious. But I can’t count how many times my actor daughter was asked “what’s your real job?”

Governments disregarded issues of workplace culture, conditions and pay in the arts, but Revive deliberately changed that conversation.

Through the creation of Creative Workplaces, we recognised that a thriving cultural sector requires more than audiences and applause.

It requires secure careers, safe workplaces, fair remuneration and respect and that’s what Creative Workplaces is already working hard to deliver.

Performers also need opportunities, which is why we introduced Australian content obligations for streaming platforms – to ensure Australian stories will always have a place on Australian screens and that Australian actors have the opportunity to tell them.  

We understand that many of Australia’s finest actors first developed their craft in small-to-medium sized theatre companies. And that’s why we’ve delivered record new investment to Creative Australia, allowing more than double the number of small-to-medium theatre companies to receive multi-year funding compared to before we came to office.

We also understand that international screen productions provide valuable opportunities for Australian actors and crews, and that’s why we’ve increased the Location Offset to ensure that Australia is a competitive destination for international screen productions.

We’ve also strengthened the Producer Offset, expanded eligibility for Australian drama and removed barriers that limited support for spending on actors and creative talent, so Australian stories can be made here with Australian performers at their heart.

Ultimately, governments and policy do not create culture. You do.

Prime Minister Gough Whitlam said in 1975 that Governments cannot create great art but they can create the conditions in which it is most likely to flourish.

That was Whitlam’s mission then and it’s our mission now.

Tonight we celebrate outstanding performances, but also the dedication, courage and artistry that made them possible.

To every nominee, finalist and recipient, congratulations.

To every performer in this room, thank you for the stories you tell, the worlds you create and the profound and valuable contribution that you make to cultural life in Australia. Long may it continue.

END