MEDIA RELEASE - LABOR’S LACK OF DIRECTION PUTS AUSTRALIA’S SCREEN SECTOR AT RISK

The extraordinary surge in Australian screen production under the Morrison Government is increasingly at risk due to Labor’s inaction, Shadow Minister for the Arts, Paul Fletcher said today.

Metropolis, Godzilla vs Kong and Thor: Love and Thunder were but a few of the massive productions filmed in Australia because of the support the Coalition Government program provided,” Mr Fletcher said.

“As Screen Australia reported in November 2022, expenditure on scripted screen production in Australia hit an all time high of $2.29 billion in 2021-22.

“The Morrison Government’s $400 million Location Incentive program was key to this outcome – but the screen industry is now increasingly worried by the failure of Labor Arts Minister Tony Burke to give any indication of its future.

“The Funding allocated under this program by the Morrison Government attracted 32 international productions to Australia with cumulative private investment of over $2.84 billion, generating more than 20,500 employment opportunities and creating work for over 19,500 businesses.

“But Labor Arts Minister Tony Burke made no mention of this program when he released his much-hyped National Cultural Policy recently.

“Minister Burke needs to come clean. If he going to cut the Location Incentive program and tell Australia’s thousands of skilled screen sector workers he doesn’t care about their jobs, the very least he can do is give those workers the courtesy of being straight with them,” Mr Fletcher said.

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