Australian Children's Television Foundation

The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is a national non-profit children’s media production and policy hub.

The ACTF helps develop children’s television policy; distributes and pays for Australian children’s television series; supports new children’s media; and develops screen resources for the education sector.

The Australian Education Council established the ACTF following recommendations to Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. It is supported by, and receives funding from, the Commonwealth Government and the governments of most States and Territories.

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.