The Federal government has cut the Location Offset's minimum qualifying Australian production expenditure (QAPE) back to $15 million just months after raising it as part of a reformed package designed to attract more offshore production.
The Location Offset has officially been boosted to 30 per cent from 16.5 per cent after long-delayed legislation was passed in Parliament.
Ausfilm says four offshore projects are in early pre-production but the Location Offset needs to be legislated.
Remaining flexible and adapting to the needs of practitioners amid broader industry changes are among the chief concerns for Screen Australia when it comes to ongoing capacity building, industry development head Ken Crouch says.
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance chief executive Erin Madeley argues that with the Australian screen industry on the cusp of a growth period, it can’t afford to forget the workforce who drives it forward.
After more than a decade of lobbying by Ausfilm, crew, studios and other service businesses, the government announced at the Federal Budget it has decided to permanently lift the Location Offset to 30 per cent from July 1 this year.
Production in Australia is booming. In the last four years, the Producer Offset, PDV Offset and the combined Location Offset and Incentive have resulted in a whopping $16.5 billion of economic output, and in the last financial year alone, created 20,600 jobs. However, a new report from Olsberg SPI suggests uncertainty about the future of the Location Incentive risks continued growth and infrastructure investment.
The 12 successful applicants for Attagurl, the narrative feature film development lab to support female and non-binary filmmakers from around the world, will be announced next week, and Deanne Weir is excited.