Australian Children's Television Foundation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids  |
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| Abbreviation | ACTF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1982 |
| Legal status | Australian non-profit public company limited by guarantee |
| Purpose | Support the development and production of, and distribute, high-quality Australian children’s screen content |
| Headquarters | Fitzroy, Victoria |
| Location | |
The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is a national non-profit group that helps create and support TV shows and other media for Australian kids. Think of them as a team that helps bring your favorite Aussie shows to the screen!
The ACTF is not about making a profit. Instead, it focuses on making sure there are plenty of high-quality Australian shows for children to watch. They provide money and support to writers and producers. They also help create fun learning resources for schools based on these shows.
Contents
Why the ACTF Was Created
The story of the ACTF began with a woman named Patricia Edgar. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she noticed there weren't many TV shows made just for Australian kids. She believed it was important for kids to see their own lives and stories on TV.
Patricia worked hard to convince people that a special organization was needed to make this happen. She teamed up with politicians like Norman Lacy, who was the Minister for the Arts in Victoria. Together, they gathered support from governments across Australia.
In 1982, the ACTF was officially started. The Australian Government and most state governments agreed to provide funding. Patricia Edgar became the first director and led the ACTF for 20 years.
Making Famous Shows
Under Patricia's leadership, the ACTF helped create some of Australia's most loved children's shows. These included:
These programs were a huge success. They won over 100 awards in Australia and around the world, showing that Aussie kids' TV could be among the best.
New Channels and New Shows
In 2002, Jenny Buckland became the new CEO of the ACTF. The foundation continued to support hit shows like Mortified and Lockie Leonard.
The ACTF also played a big part in getting a dedicated TV channel for Australian kids. They pushed for the government to use new digital technology to create more kids' programming. This led to the launch of ABC3 (now known as ABC ME) in 2009.
With a new channel to fill, many new and exciting shows were made. The ACTF supported popular series like Dance Academy, Nowhere Boys, and My Place. For over 40 years, the ACTF has been a key player in making Australian children's television awesome.
How the ACTF is Run
The ACTF is still funded by the Commonwealth, state, and territory governments of Australia. This shows how important everyone thinks it is to have great local kids' content.
A group of people called a board of directors helps make the big decisions. Each state and territory can choose a member for the board. One of the most dedicated board members has been Janet Holmes à Court. She joined in 1983 and has been the chairman since 1990.
The ACTF's main office is located in the suburb of Fitzroy in Melbourne.
Famous Shows Supported by the ACTF
The ACTF has helped make hundreds of hours of television. Here are some of the most well-known shows and movies they have been involved with:
- 100% Wolf
- Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors?
- Born to Spy
- Bushwhacked!
- Crash Zone
- Dance Academy
- First Day
- Hardball
- Kangaroo Beach
- Lift Off
- Little J & Big Cuz
- Little Lunch
- Lockie Leonard
- Mortified
- Mustangs FC
- My Place
- Nowhere Boys
- Paper Planes
- Round the Twist
- Spellbinder
- The InBESTigators
- The PM's Daughter
- The Unlisted
- Thalu
- Yolngu Boy
- You're Skitting Me
