Australia Revives cultural policy as streamers await local content quota decision

The Australian screen sector has largely welcomed the country’s new creative and cultural policy, named Revive, which comes with a commitment for nearly A$300m (US$212m) in investment.

Tony Burke

The revamped policy, launched in Melbourne today, was in line with expectations but fell short of imposing local content quotas on streaming services.

The Australian business has been agitating for local quotas to be imposed on streamers for over a year, calling for 20% of their estimated combined annual revenue of A$2.4bn to be reinvested. The proposed figure of A$480m would result in around 400 hours of new content a year.

Speaking at the Revive launch in Melbourne, minister for the arts Tony Burke said: “This policy, Revive, restores the place of art, of entertainment, of culture, for all Australians.”

Burke confirmed legislation will be introduced to parliament on streaming quotas in the second half of the year. “And on July 1 next year, Australian content obligations will apply to the streaming companies,” Burke said. The exact quota figure will be negotiated in the coming months.

“If you’re watching free-to-air TV through your aerial, you’ve got Australian content guaranteed, but if you’re watching it through the internet, there are zero guarantees. Those days have to come to an end,” Burke said.

The Media Entertainment Arts Alliance (MEAA)’s federal president, Simon Collins, said Revive was the “most comprehensive creative policy statement to be released by a federal government for more than a decade.”

“Of course, one policy does not erase the neglect of the sector over a long period. And the success of this policy will depend on how it is implemented, including how arts funding is allocated in the future,” he said.

The MEAA said the National Cultural Policy provided a roadmap for the arts and entertainment sectors over the next half-decade, and it looked forward to working with the government to bed down specific initiatives, particularly the requirements for Australian screen content on streaming platforms to ensure continued access to local stories.

The MEAA claims that the 20% quota would drive an additional 10,000 local industry jobs. “If the government is committed to promoting the growth and sustainability of the local industry, it must impose a rate of obligation closer to the French and Canadian models.”

Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner, who has been driving the industry lobby for the 20% quota, said: “If done right, this will secure our sector, our jobs and Australian stories for the long haul.”

In other changes, Creative Australia will also become home to four new industry bodies: Music Australia, Writers Australia, the Centre for Arts and Entertainment Workplaces (a new body focused on workplace safety in the arts, addressing bullying and sexual harassment, and establishing workplace safety standards) and a new First Nations-led body designed to ensure autonomy for First Nations people in the cultural sector.