Oz gov’t urged to maintain funding

The body representing Australian screen industry organisations has called on the government not to cut funding for pubcasters ABC and SBS and Screen Australia.

The move comes on the eve of the federal budget and follows cuts made to both public broadcasters and the funding agency in previous budgets.

The Australian Screen Industry Group (ASIG), which represents more than 15,000 industry professionals, also renewed calls for local content quotas to be imposed on streaming services, which would principally apply to Netflix’s Australian operation.

ASIG restated the case for increases in the 16.5% incentive for offshore film and TV production and the 20% producer offset for domestic TV dramas.

Its manifesto also seeks a commitment to the production of children’s programmes across all platforms in the face of pressure from commercial free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters to reduce the kids’ content quota.

The FTA networks are hoping the budget will deliver the abolition of the fee of 4.5% of their annual revenues, worth a total of A$153m (US$114m) last year, which they say would enable them to invest more in Australian programming.

In December, government treasurer Scott Morrison announced A$52m in cuts to the arts and communications department, of which A$47m is being redirected to Marvel Studios/Disney and 20th Century Fox as incentives to shoot Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok and Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant in Australia.

Morrison said Screen Australia’s funding would be reduced by A$10.3m over four years, equating to a 3% cut. In March, Screen Australia foreshadowed cuts to the funding of documentaries and factual programmes as it absorbs a reduction of more than A$50m in its operating budget over the past two years.

Screen Producers Australia (SPA) CEO Matt Deaner said: “Audiences are flocking to our screen content and we are providing economic, cultural and diplomatic returns to our nation as the best and brightest stars and technicians travel our nation and the world working on the most exciting screen content being made here and across the globe.

“We, however, must not take our success for granted and much work has to be done if we are to continue to succeed. There is much at stake. We need to see screen policy positions and frameworks from all political parties that are ambitious and deliverable in order to ensure our industry’s ongoing health and success.”

ASIG consists of the Australian Directors Guild, Australian Guild of Screen Composers, Australia Screen Editors, Australian Writers Guild, Australian Cinematographers Society, Australian Production Designers Guild, Australian Screen Sound Guild, Equity, Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, SPA, Women in Film & Television and the Visual Effects Society.