The passage last week through Parliament of an increase in Australia’s Location Offset from 16.5% to 30% has justifiably caused much celebration across the Australian screen industry.
However, while long-awaited streaming regulation remains on hold, this lopsided outcome has also created considerable anxiety as to where this leaves the overall screen industry and a concern that, if local content regulation proposals lapse, where our screen industry future may be heading.
“While the recent confirmation of the increase in Australia’s Location Offset that benefits non-Australian projects was great news, the absence of commensurate certainty for Australia’s home-grown industry and Australian projects through streaming regulation is now causing great angst in our industry,” SPA CEO Matthew Deaner said.
“Over the past week, I’ve been contacted by members around Australia who are concerned about where our industry now stands. This is particularly the case as the 1 July 2024 start date for streaming regulation has come and gone with no new timeframe from the Government.
“Without a counterbalance in local works and robust commissioning, the changes that passed Parliament last week will mean that the Australian screen sector is on track to develop more as a service provider for Hollywood productions, who are encouraged here to take advantage of generous rebates, rather than grow our own local storytelling capabilities. Available data tells the same story.
“Right now, Australian audiences are finding it harder and harder to find their culture and heritage on screens. The balance of Government interventions in our industry should always lean towards Australians telling and producing Australian stories.
“In what has now been two years since the Albanese Government was elected and 18 months since the launch of Australia’s National Cultural Policy Revive with its promise to Australian audiences, we have not seen any progress in addressing the decline in Australian screen culture – on any platform.
“Opportunities include full restoration of cuts made to the ABC and SBS and Screen Australia under former Governments as well as new investments, reviewing and better balancing the regulation on subscription and commercial (public service) television, comprehensive reviews and adjustments of offsets and export and international co-production strategies as well as introducing promised regulation of streaming (SVOD and BVOD) services all of which have the potential to simulate our Australian storytelling.
“We deeply value our international and global producing partners and the benefits they bring to our shores – but we must ensure that our local industry is robust, resilient and prioritised regarding support measures.
“Our Australian screen industry should aim always to remain open to new entrants to ensure diversity and stories from the grassroots of society. Almost everyone gets their start in the local industry.
“That’s why local must always be our first, second and third priority as an industry, government and society,” Mr Deaner said.
Environment and Communications References Committee chair Sarah Hanson-Young last week told the Senate, “The government promised that they would bring in this legislation and that it would be in place by July 1. That was three days ago. We’ve missed that deadline. The government’s broken their promise.
“They’ve rolled over and cowered to the big streaming giants. They’re letting Netflix write the rules and instead what what we have bundled up in a in a bill with all these other things that are not related to the film industry, a tax offset for Hollywood.
“This government talks a big game on the arts, talks a big game on the creative industries, talks a big game on backing Australian stories, but they are failing dismally.”
In a statement to IF, Arts Minister Tony Burke said, “Australian producers rely heavily on the [Location and Producer] offsets.
“They are critically important. I’m proud that in both Government and in opposition, I have ensured they were only ever strengthened and not weakened.
“On Streaming, the Government made the commitment last year to legislate for Australian content quotas on Streaming platforms. Consultation is taking longer than we had hoped, but we are determined to get this right. This will make a real difference to ensuring that there is always Australian content available regardless of how you use your TV.”
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