Australian Children's Television Foundation - History

History

The origins of the ACTF can be traced to a meeting between the Victorian Minister for the Arts (and Educational Services) Norman Lacy and Dr Patricia Edgar (at that time a media academic at LaTrobe University) in 1980 at the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. Lacy was an admirer of Edgar's ideas for improving the quality of children's television production. They agreed to join forces to promote the proposal for the establishment of an organisation to achieve their shared objectives. Lacy then used his ministerial membership of the Australian Education Council and the Australian Arts Ministers' Conference to initiate the establishment of the Australian Children's Television Foundation. He appointed Edgar to the Arts Ministry staff to steer the project, provided office space and establishment funding, and won the support of NSW Education Minister Paul Landa with whom he co-chaired the early steering committee meetings.

In early 1981, Lacy addressed the Senate Standing Committee on Education and the Arts arguing for the strategic and national importance of a Commonwealth commitment to recurrent funding for the fledgling Foundation. The Senate Standing committee report Children and Television Revisited recommended the establishment of an independent children's television production unit, which was the impetus for the foundation of the ACTF, to be funded by the Australian government with contributions from state and territory governments.

Norman Lacy's political advocacy and practical support coupled with Patricia Edgar's intellectual capacity and lobbying skills eventually won through and the Australian Children's Television Foundation was born with funding support from the Commonwealth Government collectively matched by all the State governments except Queensland. Subsequently, Patricia Edgar, the founding executive director of the Foundation, retired and Jenny Buckland was appointed CEO in July 2002. Formerly its General Manager, Buckland played a significant role in the establishment of the Foundation becoming one of the most successful international marketers of children's television programs.

The ACTF has flourished since its establishment under the leadership of Edgar, Buckland, its long term Chairman and patron Janet Holmes à Court and a Board representative of each of the State and Commonwealth Governments that have provided the bulk of its funding requirements.

Over the nearly 30 years of its existence, the ACTF has continued to develop and produce high quality television programs for children. It aims to create innovative, entertaining and educational programs. Its programs have screened in over 100 countries and have won over 95 local and international awards.

The ACTF believes that entertaining media can be an effective teaching and learning tool. It has created the educational multi-media construction tool-set Kahootz to be used in schools by primary and secondary students across a range of key learning areas. The tool-set gives children the power to create complex narratives, puzzles and presentations in a three dimensional world.

The ACTF also acts as a funding body for other children’s television producers offering both script development funding and production investment. It also acts as a local and international distributor of children’s programs.

The headquarters of the ACTF are on Smith Street in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy.