If elected, Labor has promised $40 million to the ABC to support drama, comedy, children’s and music programming, and $20 million to SBS to support more Australian content.
Netflix may be inching closer to becoming a “local” media company, with an increased presence in our small but profitable national market. What might this mean for local screen producers?
The Make it Australian campaign is heading back to Canberra for the first time since the federal election, restating its case for local content requirements to be placed on digital platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
SPA has called on the Federal Government to set a growth target for the Australian screen industry - one that would see the production of Australian content, rate of employment and size of the industry double within five years.
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.
"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.
Both SPA and the ADG have identified the potential for a "production void" if there is a prolonged delay between the government's relaxation of local content quotas for commercial free-to-air broadcasters and any imposition of obligations on streamers.
The Documentary Australia Foundation is urging the Federal Government to treat documentary distinctly from drama as it proceeds with reform to the Producer Offset.