Actors to vote on Foreign Ads strike

Australian actors will take a vote to decide if a strike should be called on all offshore commercials, following  the Screen Producers’ Association of Australia’s (SPAA) decision to withdraw from the SPAA/MEAA Commercials Offshore Agreement. Offshore Television Commercials are commercials which come from overseas to be made in Australia.

SPAA’s Geoff Brown recently said, “This decision will enable Australian TVC production companies to negotiate flexible terms with performers working on international commercials. We believe it will be easier to do business in Australia and that Australia will immediately become more competitive as a production destination.”

SPAA will exit the agreement from August 7th, despite no consultation with Equity. The agreement sets the minimum terms and conditions, and broadcast and other rights for artists working on television and theatrical commercials in Australia.

“It is very unfortunate that it has come to this,” said National Equity Director Simon Whipp. “But the producers’ decision to walk away from this Agreement without consultation, without negotiation and without raising their concerns leaves performers with no ternative.”

The Agreement between the SPAA and Equity sets the minimum terms and conditions, and broadcast and other rights for artists working on television and theatrical commercials produced in Australia – predominantly for use by overseas advertisers.

Geoff Brown has said that Australian TVC companies pitched for but lost more than $60m of offshore commercials work in the past 12 months. “This is a highly lucrative sector. If Australia had secured just half of this production, it would have meant hundreds of well-paid jobs for actors, crews and production companies.”