He’s already succeeded in helping to keep the Producer Offset at 40 per cent for theatrical features and now actor Bryan Brown hopes to exert a similar influence in the discussion about streaming regulation, fronting the National Press Club today to push for a 20 per cent local content obligation on the major services.
Brown was reportedly a key player in the former government’s decision to back down from its proposal to harmonise the offset for both film and television at 30 per cent, contacting Nationals Senator David Littleproud regarding the issue at the beginning of 2021.
He had previously taken to Canberra as part of Make It Australian campaign, a collective comprising the Australian Directors’ Guild, Australian Writers’ Guild, Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, and Screen Producers Australia (SPA), that has long advocated for a 20 per cent revenue obligation.
With Arts Minister Tony Burke in the midst of consultations about the shape of streaming regulations to be implemented as part of the Revive National Cultural Policy, Brown emphasised of any obligation priortising Australian stories, rather than “stories filmed in Australia with American accents”, which he described as “cultural death”.
“The streaming companies will fight hard to not legislate their business and we must fight just as hard because this is for our culture,” he said.
“I’m sure once again we’ll all find an answer and so move forward. We owe it to Australians, Indigenous, old migrants, and new, to keep telling our stories.”
Brown began his address by reflecting on his own acting journey, which began with a revue for financial services company AMP, where he initially studied to be an actuary before becoming a salesman.
After deciding to pursue acting full-time, he moved over to London and was eventually offered a year-long contract with National Theatre Company in 1974. It was at the end of that year he returned to Australia to visit his mother and noticed his home country’s own theatre scene had been taken over by Australian playwrights such as David Williamson, Jim McNeill, Jack Hibbert and Alex Buzo, the likes of which were “presenting plays about Australians”, prompting him to stay,
Brown’s first feature film, Stephen Wallace’s 1977 drama The Love Letters from Teralba Road, coincided with what he described as the “early days of the resurgence of Australian cinema”, highlighted by films such as Bruce Beresford’s Breaker Morant, Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock, and George Miller’s Mad Max.
“The most exciting part of it was we were telling our stories and telling them with our voice and our sensibility; sharing the Australian experience, the place, its people, its struggles, its history, its strength, and its weaknesses,” Brown said.
“So where did this creativity come from? Well, it was there in its people, wasn’t it? All that was needed was a visionary government to recognise it and support it.”
He went on to acknowledge the role of Location Offset in attracting offshore production that created work opportunities for the Australian industry but noted that it had to be balanced.
“They say if the film is good enough the market will finance it,” he said.
“The offset is the marketplace and offshore production is here for that. Let’s not kid ourselves, if Bulgaria or Hungary or Brazil or comes up with a better deal or a better offset than ours, our offshore production will become their offshore production and they then will become a suburb of LA.”
Brown’s words come as SPA released new data from Roy Morgan indicating there is a desire from Australians to see more local content.
According to the Australian Made report, of which more than 20,000 people were surveyed, 89 per cent of Australians want to see more Australian-made media content, with 81 per cent wanting to see more Australian-made films and television shows/series, while 59 per cent want to see more Australian-made games.
Further, 81 per cent of would like an easier way to identify Australian Made media content.
According to SPA CEO Matthew Deaner, the message from the findings “couldn’t be any clearer”.
“This data reinforces the government’s National Cultural Policy – Australian audiences want to see and find more Australian stories on their screens,” he said.
“Government investment requirements on streaming platforms is a win-win-win proposition. It is a win for audiences, a win for cultural impact and a win for the screen industry.
“That’s why SPA and the production industry strongly supports government policy for a requirement on streaming platforms to reinvest at least 20 per cent of revenues earned in Australia into new Australian content.”