Pay, contracts and the use of dancers’ images will be examined at an online industry briefing on Thursday 12 November, as a broader review considers how the Dance Industry Code of Practice addresses the realities of professional dance work.
Ausdance Queensland is partnering with the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) and Dancers Australia for the session. Ausdance has confirmed that the briefing is now open to everyone working in the dance sector, including non-members. Dancers, teachers, choreographers, studio owners and company representatives are welcome to attend.
The briefing will explain the existing 2026–27 Code, which sets out rates and working conditions for professional dancers, dance teachers and choreographers. It will be led by MEAA industrial officer and lawyer Tess Chappell and Dancers Australia lead organiser Andrew Markey.
Developed through MEAA’s Dancers Australia, the Code provides a framework for professional engagements across live performance, screen, teaching and other dance settings. Its provisions cover both employees and contractors, with signatories committing to terms that are, on balance, no less favourable than those it establishes.
The Code is distinct from an industrial award. It addresses its relationship with the National Employment Standards and relevant awards, and excludes certain work covered by existing collective or enterprise agreements, commercial advertising rates or higher existing rates. Its scope therefore needs to be considered alongside the arrangements governing a particular engagement.
The session will cover dancer, teacher and choreographer pay; payments and protections relating to recordings, social media and artificial intelligence; workplace health and safety; and contractual obligations.
Those subjects extend beyond the fee for a class or performance. The current Code distinguishes payment for a choreographer’s working time from a fee for the choreography itself. It also addresses recording and usage rights, paid promotional duties, restrictions on AI use, cancellation arrangements and workplace conditions.
A separate review plan sets out a clause-by-clause examination of the current Code, with six substantive meetings scheduled between November and May, followed by drafting and endorsement in June. The timetable targets a revised Code for release on 1 July 2027.
Among the questions proposed for review are what freelance teaching rates should include—such as preparation, administration and music editing—and how experience outside formal qualifications should be recognised. Other areas include dancer-generated choreography, remounts, promotional recordings, AI protections, insurance and payment deadlines.
These are questions for consultation, rather than changes already adopted. The November briefing offers an explanation of the current provisions while that wider review process develops.
The session takes place on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 11am AEST (Queensland), equivalent to noon AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne.