Creative Workplaces Foundations
Fair, safe and respectful creative work — a practical framework for creative businesses and organisations
Welcome
Welcome to the Creative Workplaces Foundations.
We're glad you're here.
This is a practical framework for creative businesses and organisations that engage artists and arts workers as employees or independent contractors.
It has been designed to help you create fair, safe and respectful work arrangements.
Built on the values of fairness, safety and respect, the Creative Workplaces Foundations will help you meet your responsibilities, strengthen working relationships and create workplaces where people can contribute, collaborate and do their best work.
Whether you're employing someone for the first time, engaging freelancers or self-employed creatives for a project, or reviewing your existing practices, the Foundations provides practical guidance to help you meet your responsibilities and build positive working relationships.
Finding your way
Why it matters
Why relationships, workplaces and culture matter in the creative industries, and why fairness, safety and respect are essential to a thriving sector.
The essentials
The core actions and approaches that support fair, safe and respectful work arrangements and help you meet your workplace obligations.
As you explore
You will come across some complex language. Whenever we can, we explain what we mean.
It can feel difficult to understand at times, but we do it intentionally. This is the language of law and regulation.
Knowing this language will support you to have conversations with government agencies should you ever need to seek help or advice.
We understand that people use words in different ways. And we don’t always agree on how they should be used or understood.
The terms we use align with workplace laws. This helps us to be clear about what we mean within the Foundations and across our website. Our word choices are not a reflection on the ‘rightness’ of the terms themselves.
We talk about regulatory and legal compliance. We know this isn’t very inspiring — but we also know that there can be really serious consequences for non-compliance — for you and for the people in your workplace.
Our job is to give you the information you need to protect your organisation against legal and financial risk.
It's important to know
The Creative Workplaces Foundations provides general guidance only.
It is not a substitute for legal, business or professional advice.
For advice specific to your situation, or for complex matters, you will need individual, tailored advice.
Learn about where to get help
Learn more about the information on this website
We recognise Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)
The Creative Workplaces Foundations may include or refer to First Nations cultural knowledges, concepts, language and ways of knowing. Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) refers to the rights of First Nations peoples to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, including tangible and intangible cultural knowledge, cultural expressions and cultural practices.
ICIP remains with the relevant First Nations peoples, communities and cultural knowledge holders. Nothing in this framework should be understood as transferring, diminishing or overriding First Nations cultural authority, cultural protocols or rights relating to ICIP.
Users of this framework are encouraged to engage respectfully, seek appropriate permissions where required, and recognise the ongoing cultural authority of First Nations peoples.
