The Australian Greens support the recommendations of the majority report.
The Australian Greens recommend that bill be amended to:
remove changes to thresholds for the Producer Offset and Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Offset;
remove changes to the 'Gallipoli Clause';
remove changes that exclude general business overheads from qualifying Australian production expenditure; and
remove the cap on 'above the line' expenditure that can be included as qualifying Australian production expenditure for documentaries.
Increase in Producer Offset for television
The Australian Greens strongly support the increase in the Producer Offset for television to 30 per cent. We note that this is a change that the industry has campaigned for over a long time and that the Greens have long supported
We also note that an earlier proposal from the government suggested reducing the feature film Producer Offset to 30 per cent. Again, the industry and the Greens strongly campaigned against this and we are pleased that the proposed changes have not gone ahead.
Lack of consultation with the industry
The Australian Greens are deeply concerned that no consultation has been done with industry on a number of the changes presented in this bill.
Industry representatives that appeared at the public hearing made it very clear that they had not been consulted by the Government on a number of measures in this bill including the changes to the thresholds for both the PDV and Producer Offsets.
The Australian Greens are concerned that this lack of consultation will lead to serious negative impacts on small business, independent filmmakers and, in particular, the documentary industry.
The Australian Greens recommend that these changes be removed from the bill and the government conduct a proper consultation process with industry before making any further proposals.
Future support for the screen industry
The Australian screen industry has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite an influx of Hollywood and overseas productions, not all parts of the industry have benefited. More can be done to support this important industry that tells our Australian stories.
Australian audiences deserve to have Australian stories on their screens. As more and more of the audience moves to online platforms such as Netflix, Stan and Amazon for their screen content, our legislation must catch up with the technology.
The Australian Greens acknowledge that the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, has recently consulted on a proposal which would require video-on-demand services to meet an expenditure requirement of 5 per cent on Australian content. The view of the Greens is that the expenditure requirement should be set at 20 per cent in line with international examples.
Recommendation
remove changes to thresholds for the Producer Offset and Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Offset;
remove changes to the 'Gallipoli Clause';
remove changes that exclude general business overheads from qualifying Australian production expenditure; and
remove the cap on 'above the line' expenditure that can be included as qualifying Australian production expenditure for documentaries.
Recommendation
The Government conduct a proper consultation process with industry before making any further proposals.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young
Deputy Chair