Creative Workplaces – a new national initiative championing fair, safe and respectful workplaces in the creative industries – has launched a new website. The site is a resource hub on pay, working conditions and workplace safety for individuals and organisations.
Easy navigation and plain language are at the heart of the design of the Creative Workplaces website, alongside examples set in the arts to illustrate principles in practice.
“The Creative Workplaces website is unique because it’s written for people who transition between different work arrangements regularly,” says Kate Schaffner, Director, Creative Workplaces.
While not originally from an arts background, Schaffner sees many parallels between her experience at the Fair Work Commission and how she can help build Creative Workplaces.
“Having worked in an employment tribunal with people from all sorts of industries I came to this role with a deep understanding of the challenges people experience in understanding legal information and processes,” she says.
“A lot of creatives may work as an employee one day, an independent artist another and may even run a business and volunteer at different times. This means that the rights, duties and protections they need to be aware of may vary in their different roles, and can make finding the right help and support particularly difficult.
“People often seek out legal information in times of need, and I’m personally motivated to make this as easy as possible, and to have a positive impact on working relationships and workplace culture within the arts,” she explains.
Schaffner says working with the Creative Workplaces Council, chaired by Kate Jenkins AO, and comprising industry professionals, Creative Workplaces has consulted extensively throughout 2024 and 2025 to gauge the common workplace issues experienced in the sector. “Some of the questions we get asked a lot are about things like psychosocial safety, pay conditions, volunteering arrangements, superannuation or when should an artist be considered as an independent contractor or an employee.”
The website is designed with simple navigation and has sections on: contracts and payment, workplace issues, making safe workplaces, First Nations relations, accessible workplaces, and children and young people.
Creative Workplaces has a national remit and is collaborating with states and territory governments on the work. “It’s really crucial when implementing a nationwide strategy that you understand the priorities for people in different places, working in different art forms, and from different communities of practice,” says Schaffner.
Sector feedback is warmly welcomed. “Creative Workplaces is new, so we ask the sector to please tell us what they need,” she adds. “The most important thing for us is to ensure this website meets the sector’s needs.”
For those who may need immediate support, Creative Workplaces has partnered with Support Act to offer its mental health and wellbeing helpline to everyone in the creative industries.
The launch of the website is just the beginning. More information and resources will be added to the website in the coming months as Creative Workplaces progresses its work.
Check out the Creative Workplaces website and subscribe to updates to receive the newest information.
