The Australian Writers' Guild has joined fellow screen industry guilds in calling out the federal government’s abrupt decision to fold the Department of Communications and the Arts into a new super ministry, omitting the Arts, as an insult to the industry.

​The Australian Writers’ Guild is deeply concerned that the federal government has announced a restructure, abolishing the current Department of Communications and the Arts and rolling it into the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.

The Australian Writers’ Guild congratulates long-time member Tommy Murphy on the opening of his latest play Packer & Sons, which was supported by the Guild’s David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre.

Lucas Taylor’s AWGIE Award-winning multilinear narrative Eleven Eleven has won the 2019 John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing, with Steve Mitchell’s Cowtown taking home the prize in the unproduced category.

Five new Showcase projects have been announced as the shortlist for the 2019 John Hinde Award, to be presented at next week’s inaugural Powerhouse industry mixer in Sydney.