Australian creative guilds unite to oppose AI copyright carve-outs, warn of irreparable damage

Aussie creatives push back on AI copyright changes - here's what to do next

Australia's creative guilds have united against a proposal from the Productivity Commission to relax copyright rules for AI training. Their stance is simple: consent, transparency and fair compensation must be mandatory.

If you make original work for a living, this isn't abstract policy. It affects your licensing, your future earnings and the integrity of your portfolio.

Productivity Commission consultations matter because they often shape policy. Keep an eye on updates and be ready to submit feedback through your guild or independently.

What's at stake

• Your IP could be ingested into training datasets without permission if exemptions expand.
• Attribution can vanish inside models, making credit and royalties hard to trace.
• Market value of photography, writing, design, audio and video can erode if training happens without licensing.

Move first: protect your work and your deals

• Add AI clauses to contracts: no training use without explicit written consent, clear attribution rules, and per-use licensing fees.
• Label your files: add rights metadata, usage terms and contact info to exports and deliverables.
• Publish a rights policy on your site: state your AI terms (no training without consent, preferred licensing paths, audit expectations).
• Price an "AI training license" separately from standard usage. Make it time-bound, dataset-bound and revocable if terms are breached.
• Join your guild's response. Collective pressure works better than solo emails.
• Track scraping: monitor server logs and block known crawlers that ignore robots.txt. Keep records.

Need a quick IP refresher? The Australian Copyright Council has practical guides worth bookmarking.

Industry updates creatives should note

Netflix drops trailer: Monster - The Ed Gein Story

The third chapter of the anthology from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan focuses on Ed Gein. If you work in true crime or horror, expect a spike in period styling, Midwest Americana motifs and ethically sensitive storytelling briefs.

• Check life-rights, archival usage and likeness clearances early.
• Prepare pitches with trauma-informed approaches and content warnings built in.

Footy finals: Nine Radio adds TV audio sync

Fans on the 2GB, 4BC, 3AW and 6PR apps can sync radio commentary with their TV or in-stadium feed. For audio producers, this opens inventory for companion second-screen experiences.

• Package sponsor reads as "sync-safe" with tight timecodes.
• Create short beds and stings designed for latency-tolerant syncing.

Talkin' 'Bout Your Gen returns

The show is back with a new host and format on 10. Writers, comedians and segment producers: rework pitch decks for fast, interactive games and social-ready cutdowns.

MKR heats up with gatecrashers

Fresh entrants shake up casting dynamics as fan favourites stumble. Food stylists, editors and social teams: prep agile content plans that spotlight new faces and plot turns within 24 hours.

The Block hits boiling point

Body-corporate drama escalates. If you handle brand integrations, plan contingency placements so scenes remain compliant and on-brand even when storylines shift.

Seven's HD upgrade in Sydney

Seven continues its move to higher picture quality. Post teams should confirm delivery specs, graphics safe areas and caption pipelines for HD across promos and ads.

• Double-check bitrates, color space and audio loudness for network-specific requirements.

Foxtel winds down Hubbl

The once-hyped streaming device moves into maintenance mode. If your distribution relied on hardware bundling, shift to platform-agnostic packaging and tighten analytics around app performance.

Action checklist for the week

• Update your master services agreement with AI and dataset clauses.
• Publish or refresh a public "AI usage" page that clients can reference.
• Create a separate rate card for model training, synthetic data and dataset licensing.
• Audit file metadata on current portfolios and client deliveries.
• Coordinate with your guild or association on the official submission to policy makers.

If you're leveling up your AI literacy while keeping control of your IP, browse curated courses by role here: Complete AI Training - Courses by Job.

Protect your rights, price your value and ship work that stands out. Policy will evolve. Your systems can evolve faster.