The legislative changes to the federal tax incentives have passed through both houses of Parliament, with amendments that keep the minimum qualifying Australian expenditure (QAPE) threshold at $500,000 for both the Producer and PDV offset.
Two "massive moveables" - that is, COVID-19 and the delay in legislative changes to the offsets - mean Screen Australia has been scenario planning.
A Senate committee has recommended the government temporarily raise the copyright cap on documentaries and work to strengthen Australia's PDV sector as part of its offset reform.
With the draft amendments to the legislation that governs the Producer Offset now published, there is one issue that to date hasn’t garnered much attention. That is, the re-introduction of the 20 per cap on above-the-line fees for non-feature length documentary production.
The Federal Government has released its draft amendments to the Australian Screen Production Incentive - i.e. the offsets, inviting public comment until the end of this month.
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.
The Documentary Australia Foundation is urging the Federal Government to treat documentary distinctly from drama as it proceeds with reform to the Producer Offset.