Letter to Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke - a follow up from a letter to him 12 years earlier

 When I wrote to Tony Burke in November last year I had forgotten that I had already written to him about it it 12 years earlier. He did not respond. This is standard operating procedure for politicians these days.

Needless to say, Tony did not respond to this letter either.

The Hon. Tony Burke MP

Minister for the Arts

GPO Box 594

Canberra

ACT 2601                                                                                        7^th.November 2025

 

Dear Minister

re Screen Australia

 

I am an Australian filmmaker with 54 years of experience in the industry.

 

In 2012 the Screen Australia Board banned me from making any applications to the funding body on the grounds that I had intimidated, harassed and placed at risk members of Screen Australia staff.  My repeated requests for evidence that I was guilty as charged were ignored. This ban also forbad me from speaking with members of Screen Australia staff.

 

In September 2025 Screen Australia admitted that no evidence existed in support of the allegations that led to my ban.

 

My repeated requests of the current Screen Australia Board to meet with me to discuss and resolve this 13 year old dispute have been ignored; receipt of my letters not acknowledged.

 

In 2012, my continued insistence, in writing, that I had not intimidated, harassed or placed at risk any employee at Screen Australia, my persistent asking for evidence, was presented to me as evidence of intimidation. This ‘intimidation’ on my part led the Board to ban me twice more.

 

Thirteen years later, the Screen Australia Board is again responding to my requests for evidence of intimidation as evidence of intimidation and threatening to ban me as I continue to ask for it, seemingly unaware of the cognitive dissonance this involves.  

 

A truly Kafkaesque state of affairs!

 

The impact of these rolling bans on me has been enormous. In 2012 I had to back out of various collaborations with fellow filmmakers as my name on any application to Screen Australia would have been rejected. 

 

I have not received $1 of income in Australia as a filmmaker this past 13 years - in large part as a result of these bans. In addition to the effect they have had on my income is the reputational damage caused to me. 

 

Now, at the age of 76, close to the end of my career, I want my reputation restored to me and will pursue this matter in court to that end if need be.

 

As I have stated repeatedly, since 2012, if I was then, or am now, guilty of intimidating, harassing or placing at risk any member of Screen Australia staff, the banning of me in 2012 was an appropriate response:

 

I quote here part of my 29^th September 2025 letter here to Kirsten Delaney, FOI Manager for Screen Australia:

 

“You have yet to provide me with evidence that I intimidated or placed at risk members of Screen Australia staff prior to my being banned by the SA Board in 2012. Merely providing me with copies of my own correspondence is not evidence of anything.

 

On 16^th September I suggested to the Board that there were two different letters it could send to me, as was the case for the 2012 Board:

 

Dear Mr. Ricketson

 

In relation to your enquiry regarding the evidence relied upon by the Board to ban you we refer you to the following:

 

On xxx (date) you wrote xxxx in a letter to SA staff member xxx. We consider this to be an example of your intimidation of staff.

 

On xxx (date) you wrote xxx. We consider this to constitute placing SA staff at risk.

 

Yours sincerely, Screen Australia Board

 

One paragraph, one sentence and even one word will suffice as evidence.

 

Alternatively:

 

Dear Mr. Ricketson

 

In relation to your enquiry regarding the evidence relied upon by the Board to ban you in 2012 we wish to review our decision and invite you to meet with members of SA staff and the Board to resolve this matter in an amicable and collegial manner.

 

Yours sincerely, Screen Australia Board

 

I have enclosed a copy of the letter I wrote to the SA Board on 7^th. October regarding this lack of evidence. It speaks for itself. As is the case with all my correspondence to the Board, I have not even received acknowledgement of its receipt.

 

The current Board has lied about my intimidating SA staff members, as did the Board in 2012. I request, Minister that you please ask of the Board the question that it took 13 years for me to get an answer to:

 

Evidence that Mr. Ricketson was in 2012, or now in 2025, is guilty of intimidation, harassment of placing SA staff at risk.

 

If you are satisfied that there is no evidence, please request of the current Board that it acknowledge this in writing.

 

In the absence of a fair and just resolution based on facts and in truth I will initiate legal proceedings, presenting to the appropriate court a statement of claim – not with a view to receiving any form of financial compensation but merely in order to have my reputation restored to me.

 

yours sincerely

 

James Ricketson