Dr Patricia Edgar has been at the forefront in the development of children's media in Australia and internationally for more than three decades. She is a media researcher without peer in Australia and was the first Chairperson of the Centre for the Study of Media and Communication at La Trobe University. In that role she established and taught the first courses on film and television, and mass media communication in an Australian University and undertook research for her PhD on Children's perceptions of film and television violence.
She was the first woman appointed as a member of The Australian Broadcasting Control Board (in 1975) and chaired the Board's review of Television Program Standards. She was the Chair of the Children's Program Committee of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal for five years during which time the CPC devised the children's television production and advertising standards which have been applied for more than 30 years in Australian broadcasting. In that role she oversaw the classification of hundreds of children's programs
She became the founding Director of the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) when it was incorporated in March 1982 and stepped down from that role in June 2002. As Director of the Australian Children's Television Foundation www.actf.com.au she was the responsible Producer for the ACTF's $100 million production slate. During her tenure as Director the ACTF she produced over 174 hours of television drama for children of all ages. These outstanding programs included Winners, Touch the Sun, Round the Twist, Lift Off,The Genie From Downunder, Sky Trackers, Crash Zone, L'il Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers, Yolngu Boy, Noah and Saskia and the ground breaking Kahootz. Together they won more than 100 national and international awards including four AFI Awards, two Logies, an International Emmy Award, the Prix Jeunesse, a Japan Prize, a Banff Rockie Award, a Grand Jury Prize at the New York Festival.
In 1995 Dr Edgar conceived and hosted the first World Summit on Television and Children in Melbourne. It was a seminal event involving 637 delegates from 71 countries. This Summit began a worldwide movement under the auspices of The World Summit on Media for Children Foundation which Dr Edgar chairs. www.wsmcf.com. Summits have taken place in London, Thessalonica, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg and in 2010 Karlstad, Sweden. www.wskarlstad2010.se
The WSMCF is responsible for overseeing the process by which specific countries and organizations are given the right to hold successive World Summits on Media for Children
The Objectives of the World Summit on Media for Children are:
· To achieve a greater understanding of developments in children's media around
the world.
· To raise the status of children's media.
· To draw to the attention of key players in broadcasting the importance of issues
relating to children.
· To agree on a charter of guiding principles in children's media.
· To ensure the provision of programming for children will be guaranteed as the
communications revolution proceeds.
· To assist in the developing world to provide opportunities for quality
· children's programming in the future
For keynote addresses given as President of the World Summit on Media for Children Foundation see Selected articles
Dr Edgar has a BA and a BEd from the University of Melbourne, a Master of Arts from Stanford University, and a PhD from La Trobe University. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon DLitt) from the University of Western Australia in 1994. Much of her research and writing has focused on children and television. She is the author of nine books including, Bloodbath: A Memoir of Australian Television.
Dr Edgar has served on a number of government committees including the Australian Broadcasting Control Board, the Australian National Commission of UNESCO, the Council of the Australian Film and Television School, Film Victoria, the Victorian Post-Secondary Education Commission, and the Victorian Government's Board of CIRCIT Ltd (Centre for International Research on Communication and Information Technologies). During 1988-89 she also served as an Associate Member of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal's Inquiry into Violence on Television and from 1988-95 she was Deputy Chairman of the Australian Film Finance Corporation Limited. She chaired the ACMI Foundation from 2004 -6 and is the founding chair of the Breast Cancer Network of Australia (since 1998). www.bcna.org.au
Dr Edgar was made a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for services to children's television and the media in 1986. She was a finalist at the Bicentennial BHP Awards for the Pursuit of Excellence in 1988 and in 1992 she received the Award of the Archbishop of Sydney Citation on World Communications Day. In 1995 she was a finalist in the Victorian of the Year Awards and at the World Summit on Television and Children she was presented with an award for her outstanding contribution to children. In 1996 Dr Edgar was selected as a Correspondent Member of the Academia Argentina de Artes y Ciencias de la Comunicacion.
In 1998 she was awarded the Australian College of Education Medal and in 2001 received an Achiever Award from the Committee for Melbourne. Both awards were in recognition of her outstanding contribution to education through the medium of television. In 2002 she was presented with the AFI Longford Life Achievement Award, the highest accolade the Australian Film Institute can bestow on an individual. She was named on the Honour Roll presented to the Parliament of Victoria in 2001 recognising women of achievement who have made a significant difference in Victoria, Australia or internationally. “Dr Patricia Edgar, AM (1981 - Founding Director of the innovative Australian Children's Television Foundation)”.
In 2001 in Paris the ACTF was awarded the Youth TV Prize at the 18th International Scientific Audio-visual Conference - Image and Science in recognition of the quality of the body of work it has produced. In 2003 Dr Edgar received the Centenary Medal awarded by the Governor General marking her contribution 'to children's television, education programs'
She lives in Melbourne and is married to Don Edgar. They have two daughters and four grand children.
Detailed CV.
Patricia May EDGAR, AM
Present Positions: International consultant on children's television and media policy.
Chair, World Summit on Media for Children Foundation
Chair, Breast Cancer Network Australia
Academic Qualifications:
BA University of Melbourne 1957 (Majors History, Geography)
DipEd University of Melbourne 1958
Bed (Hons) University of Melbourne 1966
MA Stanford University, California 1969 two years (thesis and coursework)
PhD La Trobe University 1974
Hon DLitt University of Western Australia 1994
Professional experience
1982 May - Director, Australian Children's Television Foundation.
June 2002
1981 Task Force Director, Australian Children's Television Foundation.
1980 August- Visiting Professor, Department of Communication and Dramatic Arts,
December University of Iowa, USA.
1972-81 Senior Lecturer, School of Education, La Trobe University.
1970-71 Chairperson, Centre for the Study of Educational Communication and Media, La Trobe University.
Lecturer, School of Education, La Trobe University.
1969 Acting Director Research, Ford Foundation Project, University of Chicago.
1968 Professional Intern KQED television, San Francisco, USA.
1966 Secretary, Victorian Association for the Teaching of English.
1965-66 Lecturer, Council of Adult Education, Victoria, Australia.
1959-62 Secondary school teacher, Victoria, Australia.
Professional film & television experience
Executive Producer/ Producer: Noah and Saskia , a 13 x24 minute series
Executive Producer/Producer: Legacy of the Silver Shadow, a 13 x 24 minute series.
Executive Producer: The Crash Zone 2, a 13 x 24 minute series.
Executive Producer/Producer: Round The Twist 4, a 13 x 24 minute series.
1999-2000 Executive Producer/Producer: Yolngu Boy, feature film.
Executive Producer/Producer: Round The Twist 3, a 13 x 24 minute series.
1998 Executive Producer/Producer: The Crash Zone, 13 x 24 minute series. Co-Production with The Disney Channel Australia.
1996 -2002 Executive Producer, Kahootz, an online children's club using state-of-the- art software tools.
Executive Producer/Producer: The Genie From Down Under 2, 13 x 24 minute series.
1996 Executive Producer/Producer: Li'L Elvis Jones and the TruckStoppers, 26 x 30 minute animated series. Co-Production with France Animation and Ravensburger.
1995 Executive Producer/Producer: First Day, a 75 minute documentary.
Executive Producer/Producer: The Genie From Down Under, 13 x 24 minute series. Co-Production with the BBC (UK).
1994 Executive Producer/Producer: Lift Off 2, 26 x 26 minute series.
1993 Executive Producer/Producer: Sky Trackers, a 26 x 26 minute series.
1992 Executive Producer/Producer: Songs Of Innocence, a 50 minute documentary.
Executive Producer/Producer: Round The Twist 2 , a 13 x 24 minute series written by Paul Jennings and Esben Storm.
1991-92 Executive Producer/Producer: Lift Off, a 52 x 26 minute series. Produced in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
1990 Executive Producer: More Winners, 6 x 50 minute telemovies.
Executive Producer: Sky Trackers, a 90 minute telemovie. Co-production with The Disney Channel in the USA.
1988-89 Executive Producer: Kaboodle 2, 6 x 24 minutes animation.
Executive Producer: The Greatest Tune On Earth, 4 x 24 minutes animation.
Executive Producer: Round The Twist, 13 x 24 minute series based on the best selling books by Australian author Paul Jennings.
1987-88 Executive Producer: Touch The Sun, 6 x 90 minute telemovies. State-based telemovies produced for the Bicentennial year.
1986 Executive Producer: Kaboodle, 13 x 24 minute series.
1985 Executive Producer: Winners, 8 x 50 minute telemovies.
1983 - Executive in charge of production, Australian Children's Television Foundation.
1975 Wrote, directed, produced Mexico '75, a 50 min 16mm documentary.
1974-75 Produced You've Got To Work For It, 19 min black and white 16mm documentary.
1973 Produced ERA, 27 min colour 16mm documentary.
Produced It's a Nice Place To Be, 27 min colour 16mm documentary.
1972 Wrote, directed, produced It's Just Something Kids Do, 27 min. black and white 16mm documentary.
Directed and produced My Way, 27 min. black and white 16mm documentary.
Produced Got At, 18 min black and white 16mm documentary.
Produced Nah... He Was In a Big House Before, 18 min black and white 16mm documentary.
June-August Intern at KQED public television channel in San Francisco.
1967-68 MA in film and television in the Communication Department, Stanford University, California.
Membership of Committees
Consultant - Australian Film and Television School - 1975-76.
Convenor - Victorian Education Consultants of the Australian Film and
Television School - 1975.
Consultant - South Australian Film Corporation - 1975.
Member of the Advisory Council of the State Government Equal Opportunity Committee - 1975-76.
Member and Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Program Standards of the Australian Broadcasting Control Board - September 1975-March 1976. (118pp Report)
Appointed to a five-year term on the Australian Broadcasting Control Board from October 31, 1975. ABCB disbanded December 1976.
Member of Council the Australian Film and Television School 1976-82.
Chairman of the Academic Board of the Australian Film and Television School,1978-9
Chairman of the Graduate Diploma Board of the Australian Film and Television School 1981-82.
Member of the Education Sub-Committee of the Victorian Film Corporation - 1976.
Member of the Curriculum Development Centre Project Management Committee, 1977-78.
Member Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Course Advisory Committee on Media Studies, 1977-82.
Chairman - Accreditation Sub-Committee State College of Victoria - 1978.
Member Australian National Commission of UNESCO and member of the Communication Sub-Committee - 1978-82.
Chairman - Children's Program Committee of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal - 1978-84.
Member Australian Education Council's Children's Television Working Group - 1980.
Member Interim Board for Educational Film and Television (Victoria) - 1980-82.
Member Board Film Victoria - 1982.
Member Curriculum Committee on Media Studies (Victoria) - 1982.
Member UNICEF National Education Committee - 1983-85.
Member Council of Swinburne Limited - 1984.
Member Victorian Youth Arts Festival Association Incorporated - 1984-85.
Commissioner Victorian Post-Secondary Education Commission - May 1985-89.
Chairperson - Working Party to Review the Composition of Councils of Victorian Universities - 1986-87. (Report)
Consultant to the Victorian Government's Social Development Committee - 1988. (Report)
Deputy Chairman - Australian Film Finance Corporation - 1988-95.
Associate Member Australian Broadcasting Tribunal - Inquiry into Violence on Television -1988-89.
Member Victorian Government's Board of CIRCIT Ltd. (Centre for International Research on Communication and Information Technologies) - July 1990-93
President, World Summit on Media for Children Foundation 1998-
Chair ACMI Foundation 2002-4
Chair, Breast Cancer Network Australia - 1999-
Book Chapters:
Edgar, P M, "Self Perception and Mass Media Violence" in Social Change in Australia: Readings in Sociology, (ed D E Edgar, Cheshires 1974. pp496-511.
Edgar, P M, "Education and Visual Experience", in Visual Education, (ed) C E Moorhouse, Pitman, 1974. pp149-168.
Edgar, P M, "Sex Role Models in Television Family Comedy Programmes", in Sociology of Education, (ed) D E Edgar, Angus & Roberston/McGraw Hill, 1975. pp232-247.
Edgar, P M. "Radio and Television", in From Whitlam to Fraser: Reform and Reaction in Australian Politics, (eds) A Patience and B Head, Oxford University Press, 1979. pp214-232.
Journal Articles:
Edgar, P M and Edgar, D E, "Television Violence and Socialisation Theory", Public Opinion Quarterly, vol XXXV, 1971, No 4. pp608-612.
Edgar, P M, Edgar, D E and Poole, M E, "A Rationale for Teaching Communication Skills to the Culturally Deprived - A Study Sheet", Journal of Reading, December, 1971. p232.
Edgar, D E, Poole, M E and Edgar, P M, "A Rationale for Teaching Communication Skills to the Culturally Deprived", Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol XV, No 1, 1972. pp36-47.
Edgar, P M, "The Social Context of Education: Summary of on-going research" in The Australian Journal of Education, vol 16, No 1, 1972. pp92-94.
Edgar, Patricia, Powell, R, Watkins, D, Moore, R J and Zakharov, Olive, "An Analysis of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory: A Discussion of Two Studies", Australian Psychologist, vol 9, No 3, November, 1974. pp52-63.
Edgar, P M (ed), "Mass media Symposium", The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, vol 11, No 2, June 1975. pp21-59.
Edgar, P M, "Directions in Mass Communication Research", The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, vol 11, No 2, June 1975, pp21-27.
Edgar, P M, "Families Without Television", the American Journal of Communication, vol 28, No 3, 1977. pp73-77.
Edgar, P M, "Sesame Street", Idiom, April 1971, Republished in School Bell, August, 1971 and republished in SAETA August, 1971.
Edgar, P M, "The Implications for Australia of a Survey of Audio-Visual Facilities in Universities in USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia", Vestes, vol XV, No 1, 1972. pp. 7-62.
Edgar, P M, "Education and the New Media", Idiom, May-June, 1972.
Edgar, P M. "Scandal of the Pre-School Set", Mass Media Review, vol 5, No 1, 1972. Republished Primary Education, vol. 4, No 8, September, 1973.
Edgar, P M, "The Onlookers: Women in the mass media" in Perspective, September-October, 1973. pp97-108. Published by the World YWCA, Geneva, Switzerland.
Edgar, P M, "The image of women in the mass media", The WEL Papers, The National Journal of the Women's Electoral Lobby 1973/74. pp16-21.
Edgar, P M, "Nothing Funny About TV Comedy", New Journalist, December 1973-February 1974. pp 20-23.
"Patricia Edgar examines the US Surgeon General's Report on the Causes and Prevention of Violence", Cinema Papers, April, 1974. pp112-116.
Edgar, Patricia, "You Don't Blow Up Ladies", Cinema Papers, 1974. pp321-330.
Edgar, Patricia, "Raped, Slapped and Ignored", Cinema Papers, March-April, 1975. pp 39-41.
Edgar, Patricia, "Growing up Feminine: The Part Played by Schools and the Mass Media", Forum on Discrimination UNAA Victorian Division, 1975. pp1-12. Republished in Quest, Queensland Education Department Magazine, October, 1975. pp 37-43.
Edgar, Patricia, "The Viewer and Television" in Television in the Now and Future Society. Papers presented at the Television Symposium, November, 1974, Department of the Media, Commonwealth of Australia, 1975. pp 71-76.
Edgar, Patricia, Lovell, Pat, Summers, Anne. Moderator: Gillian Waite. Case Study No 3: Women and the Media in Mass Media in Australia, (ed) G Major, Australian Institute of Political Science, 1976. pp 129-146.
Edgar, Patricia, "Film and China", Cinema Papers, September-October, 1976. pp 123-125.
Edgar, Patricia, "Network and Self Regulation Inquiry", Cinema Papers, April, 1977. pp. 302-303.
Tenth Anniversary Meredith Memorial Lectures, Patricia Edgar, "The Media as a Rival Seat of Learning" in The Role of Universities Today, La Trobe University, 1977. pp45-60.
Edgar, Patricia, "'C' Television", Cinema Papers, September-October, 1979. pp 530-531, 587.
Edgar, Patricia, Second Annual John Grierson Lecture, "Children's Television - the past, the present and the future", Published by the Victorian Documentary Film Council, Government Printer, Melbourne, November, 1979.
Edgar, Patricia, 'Frauds on the electronic fairies', "Children and Television", Education News, vol 16, No 11, 1979. pp 8-15.
Edgar, Patricia, "Children and Television Policy Implications", Information Papers No 1, Australian Children's Television Foundation, 1983. 22pp.
Edgar, Patricia, "Children's Television The Case For Regulation", Information Papers No 5, Australian Children's Television Foundation, 1984. 33pp.
Research activities
1967 Research Assistant, Stanford University, School of Education, California, USA.
1969 Research Assistant, Ford Foundation Training and Placement Scheme, University of Chicago, Illinois, USA.
1970 Principal investigator Survey of facilities in audio-visual centres in Canada, Great Britain, the United States and Australia. Undertaken for the La Trobe University Audio-Visual Aids Committee. Edgar, P M and Sims, T, A Survey of Audio Visual Facilities in Universities in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. Technical Report No 1, 1970. Centre for the Study of Educational Communication and Media, La Trobe University.
1972 Co-investigator, Australian Advisory Committee on Advanced Education: grant $14,600.00. Supplementary grant of $2,000.00, 1973. Final report: Educational Technology and the Improvement of Role Performance, 1973.
1972 Edgar, P M, Sex Role Socialisation and Television Family Comedy Programmes. A Content Analysis. Media Centre Paper No 2, 1972. Centre for the Study of Educational Communication and Media, La Trobe University.
1973 PhD research completed. "Self-esteem and attitudes to film and television programmes in a sample of junior high school students". Published as a book Children and Screen Violence, 1977.
1975 Principal investigator. "Development of Visual Learning at Primary Level". Curriculum Development Centre $18,000.00. Final report completed 1976.
1975-6 Edgar, P M and Crooke, R, Families Without Television, A survey of
families without television. Media Centre Paper No 3, 1976.
Centre for the Study of Educational Communication and Media, La Trobe
University.
1975 Co-investigator. A Study of News. Film, Radio and Television Board $17,000.00. The paper presented at the 27th Annual International Communication Association Conference was based on this work. Two books have been published based on this research. P Edgar (ed), The Politics of the Press, Sun Books, 1979, and P Edgar (ed), The News in Focus, Sun Books, 1980.
1978 A study of children's television viewing preferences. Funded by Swan Television (Perth) $3,500.00. The Unknown Audience, report published May 1979, P Edgar and U Callus, Centre for the Study of Educational Communication and Media, La Trobe University.
1978-80 Coordinator of an international study and report on communication policy in developed countries with Dr Syed Rahim of the Communication Institute, East-West Center, Hawaii. Funded by The Victorian Broadcasting Network, Associated Broadcasting Services Limited, La Trobe University, The East-West Center, Hawaii. Countries participating - USA, UK, New Zealand, Australia, West Germany, Sweden and Canada.
A book was published based on this research: Edgar, P M and Rahim, S (eds) Communication Policy in Developed Countries, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1983.
1979-80 A study of Decision-Making Processes in Communication Systems. An international study organised by the Communication Institute at the East-West Center, Hawaii. One of five people selected to participate in this research. Workshops, January 1979, January 1980. Report completed, May 1980.
Reports:
Chairperson, Advisory Committee on Program Standards. Report to the Australian Broadcasting Control Board. February 1976. 118pp.
Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Education and the Arts, "Inquiry into the Impact of Television on the Development and Learning Behaviour of Children", Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1978.
Edgar, Patricia, and Pepper, Robert, "Submission to the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal's Inquiry into Cable Television and Associated Services", November 1981.
Edgar, Patricia, "Submission to the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal Inquiry into Regulation of the Use of Satellite Program Services by Broadcasters by the Australian Children's Television Foundation", 1984.
Edgar, Patricia with McCormick, Colin, "Submission to the Committee of Review of the Special Broadcasting Service by the Australian Children's Television Foundation", May 1984.
Conference Papers
"Pre-School Television", Infant School Teachers Conference, Gardenvale, Victoria, April, 1971.
"Television Violence and Socialisation Theory", SAANZ, Brisbane, May, 1971.
"Sex Role Learning from Television", Sociology of Education Conference, La Trobe University, November, 1972.
"Social and Personality Factors Influencing Learning from Television", AERA Conference, New Orleans, USA, February-March, 1973.
"Alala Versus Big Brother", Centre for Continuing Education, ANU, Canberra, April, 1973.
"Research on Women and the Media", Psychology Department Research Colloquium, June, 1973, University of Melbourne.
"Films in Teacher Education", South Pacific Association for Teacher Education Conference, Monash University, July 1973.
"The Viewer and Television", Department of the Media Television Symposium, November, 1974.
"Women and the Media", AIPS Summer School, January, 1975.
"The Image of Women in the Media", Adult Education Association of Victoria, March, 1975.
"Growing Up with the Media", United Nations Association of Australia, Melbourne, March, 1975.
"Sexual Equality in Family Life", Forum on the Realities of Equality, Zonta Club of Adelaide, April, 1975.
"Women and the Media", Seventh Regional Conference, Australian Federation of University Women, The University of Wollongong, May, 1975.
"Daytime Television Programmes", Seminar, Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations, Melbourne, June, 1975.
"Sexism in Educational Media: multi-media presentation", Conference on Guidelines for the Avoidance of Sex Bias in Educational Materials and Media, organised jointly by the Curriculum Development Centre and the National Advisory Committee for International Women's Year, Melbourne, August, 1975.
"Crime, Media and Youth", 8th Biennial Conference, Australian Crime Prevention Council, Adelaide, August, 1975.
"Some Aspects of the Media and Education and Images of Male and Female", Public Lecture Series, Monash University, Faculty of Education, October, 1975.
"The Influence of the Media: Male and Female Stereotypes", In-Service Education Seminar, Hobart, October, 1975.
"A Retrospect and Prospect of Visual Learning, Thinking, and Communication: An Interdisciplinary Perspective", Invited discussant at The University of Iowa, Iowa, USA, Visual Scholars' Program, October, 1976.
"Media Bias in Australia", paper presented at the 27th Annual International Communication Association Conference, West Berlin, May 29-June 4, 1977.
Invited participant in two-day discussion 3-4 June, 1977 (West Berlin) on "International
Flow in Communication" run by Professor George Gerbner, The Annenberg
School of Communications, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
"Children and Mass Media", paper presented at General Seminar on "Media and Society: An East-West Review of Unanswered Questions" at the Communication Institute, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 11-15, 1977.
Advanced Seminar, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Australian participant, July 16-August 6, 1977.
"The Implications of the Media Policy of the Liberal Government", presented at the Symposium Technology, Communications and Control, University of New South Wales, November 10-12, 1977.
"Decision Making in Communication Systems", International Workshop, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, January 1979 and January 1980, Professional Associate Award.
"The Development of Media Policy in Australia", paper presented to the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science Congress Seminar on National Information Policy, May 12, 1981.
"Television, The Family and Children", paper presented at International Congress on Mass Media and the Family, Milan, Italy, 25-29 June, 1981.
"Should We Be Concerned About Children's Television?", Carnegie Library, Mildura, Victoria, September 10, 1982.
"The Work of The Australian Children's Television Foundation", Alice Springs, Northern Territory, October 6, 1982.
"RSTV and Cable Services and Children's Television" at 'Making Connections: On Cable and Subscription Communications', Canberra, November 8-9, 1982.
"Children's Television - Why the Concern?", to The Royal Australian College of Practitioners at Faculty Day, Sunbury, Victoria, November 14, 1982.
"Sexuality and Violence in Children's Television - Issues in Censorship", at ASSERT 3rd National Conference, Melbourne, November 10, 1982.
"Children and Television - Their Needs and Television's Response", at the Ashton Scholastic Sales Conference, 'Communicating in the Eighties', NSW, February 2, 1983.
"Children and Television - Their Needs and Television's Response", at the AGM of Eltham College Early Learning Centre on March 9, 1983.
"The Promise of Cable and the Pitfalls", to the Victorian Ministry of the Arts Conference, March 24, 1983.
"Children and Television", Sydney Rotary Club, April 12, 1983.
"The 'C' Classification on Children's Television", to the ANZAAS Congress, May 20, 1983, in Perth, WA.
"A History of Television for Children in Australia", at the 'Children, Television and Family' Seminar, University of Queensland, August 6, 1983.
"There is a Role for Advertisers in Children's Television", at the AANA Seventh Annual Seminar, Sydney, March 1, 1985.
"Children's Television: The Failure of Research to Find the Answers", at the Clinical and Scientific Night Meeting, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, October 30, 1986.
"Directions for the Future", at the third BHP Australian Television Festival, Festival of Perth, February 13-14, 1988.
"Children's Cinema Today - A Message For Future Generations", at the Scientific Conference, International Children's Assembly, 'Banner of Peace', Sofia '88, Bulgaria, July 1988.
"Children's Programming", at the 1990 Screen Production Association of Australia `Take Five' Conference, Leura, NSW, November 30, 1990.
"Australian Broadcasting Tribunal's Inquiry Into TV Violence In Australia", at the Catholic Education Office of Victoria's, `Media Concerns Seminar', June 6, 1992.
"Challenging Children Through Television", at `A Professional Development Event for Teachers of Kinder to Year 6 (Creating Thinking and Learning Possibilities in Children)', Sydney Opera House, November 6, 1992.
Occasional Address delivered at The University of Western Australia's Graduation Ceremony for the conferring of Degrees in Arts and Architecture and of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters on Dr Edgar, March 17, 1994.
“When Betty Grable Died - The Australian Cultural Experience”, Keynote Address given at The Banff Television Festival, 19 June, 1995.
“Breaking New Ground for Global Partnerships for Children's Rights and the Media”, Paper delivered at the first Asian Summit on Child Rights and the Media, Manila, Philippines, 2 July, 1996.
“Technology and the Future of Schooling”, Plenary Address delivered at the Language, Learning & Culture: Unsettling Certainties, Joint National Conference, Darwin, Australia, 11 July,1997.
“Technology and the Future of Schooling”, Paper delivered at the Early Years of Schooling Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 1 June, 1998.
“Individual Responsibility in Community Life”, Paper delivered at Rotary International District 9780 Conference, Warrnambool, Australia, 20 March, 1999.
“Children and Media Violence”, Paper delivered at the Australian Institute of Criminology Conference: Children and Crime - Victims and Offenders, Brisbane, Australia, 17-18 June, 1999.
“Children in the New Millennium and Current Programming Trends”, Paper delivered at the ABU Children's TV Programme Item-Exchange Meeting, Beijing, China, 2-6 August, 1999.
“The Future of Children's Programs Beyond 2000 — The Technological Age”, Paper delivered at the ABU 1999 General Assembly, Sydney, Australia, Standing Programme Committee Meeting, Saturday 30 October, 1999.
“The Future of Children's Programs Beyond 2000”, Paper delivered at the meeting of TV Youth Experts, Istanbul, 6-10 November 1999.
“Quality TV for Children. When Fiction Meets The Real World”, Paper delivered at Discovery Networks Producers' Workshop, Valencia, Spain, 29 April-2 May 2001.
Paper presented for the “Youth Television Prize” at the International Scientific Audio-visual Conference, Image and Science, Paris, France, 29-30 September 2001.