The Federal Government's impending media reforms have come under fresh scrutiny from the post-production sector, which is calling for a reassessment of the proposed changes to the Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Offset.
In a welcome move for industry, the Federal Government has backtracked on its decision to harmonise the Producer Offset for film and television, announcing on Sunday that the offset will remain at 40 per cent for theatrical features.
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher has doubled down on criticism of the ABC for its response to potential local content obligations, but has sympathised with other industry views on the green paper – namely the call for streaming platforms to spend 20 per cent of their local revenue on Australian content.
Independent cinema operators under financial hardship as a result of the pandemic will be able to apply for one-off grants of up to $85,000 after the Federal Government announced $20 million for the sector.
Queensland has snared the second season of Amazon Prime Video's 'The Wilds' from across the ditch.
Netflix workplace comedy 'God's Favorite Idiot', produced by and starring Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy, is set to shoot in NSW's Northern Rivers.
"The Minister should acknowledge and encourage our home-grown creatives too. The Australians working on local stories and projects, generating IP, creating jobs and running small businesses as they tell our stories; stories that must be told," write Shadow Minister for the Arts and Industrial Relations Tony Burke and Shadow Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland.
Thanks to Australia’s careful management of the pandemic, the industry is in the midst of a production boom. The government hopes to support the sector to leverage both this “once-in-a-century” opportunity and the global demand for content in the years ahead, writes Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher.