ABC doesn’t count NZ content: “Australia is Australia.”
Grand Designs NZ does not count as local content with ABC, even though it could.
- Published by David Knox
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As debate continues over the sustainability of the Australian screen industry, kid’s content and local quotas, this week ABC confirmed it did not include content acquired from New Zealand in its local quotas.
ABC currently screens Grand Designs NZ, but it isn’t included in its documentary quota, even though it legitimately falls under rules outlined in a Trade Agreement.
Managing Director Michelle Guthrie this week was asked at a Senate hearing where the public broadcaster stood on NZ content.
“I will have to take on notice whether we acquire anything from New Zealand. I do know with other commercial quotas New Zealand is counted, but we don’t count that way. We count Australian,” she replied.
“We know that commercial quotas allow you to count NZ production. But we think Australia is Australia.”
But Guthrie did acknowledge ABC had not invested enough in local production.
“The intention is to increase that by at least 18% this financial year. As we find ourselves in a very competitive marketplace it becomes more important than ever to be distinctive and Australian,” she said.
Screen Producers Australia CEO Matt Deaner has previously called on the government to address the issue surrounding NZ content.
“Screen Producers Australia has developed proposals to address this loophole. We will continue to seek a solution to this growing problem,” he said.
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11 Responses
The ABC operates under its charter, which is not legally binding and contains no quotas anyway. They, the code of conduct, complaints process are administered by the ACMA for commercial broadcast licences only. The ABC makes up its own quotas for press releases and until a decade ago they filled most of their prime-time up with British content quite happily, but they have never shown much NZ content. The ABC currently has a co-production deal with Netflix.
The ABC has shown more Canadian made stuff over the years than NZ product-9 is pretty much the home of NZ on Oz tv.
Don’t the commercial networks voice over foreign content so it’s classed as local.
Doesn’t change it. Where that is done it’s for presentation purposes, not quota points.
Networks used to put money into cheap docos to get the Australian righs and have an Australian voice over done, and count them as local content for the 55% of prime-time rule. However, they were mostly NZ docos which are now local content so they don’t have to anymore.
Well that should be obvious isn’t it? New Zealand isn’t Australia.
Good debate for Q&A!!
NZ is local content in Australia and Australian is local content in NZ. Any law that says otherwise is unconstitutional and will be struck down by the High Court. If you do overturn AANZFTA to stop NZ shows being local content NZ have stated they will ban Australian shows from NZ TV and impose other trade restrictions. Outrageous Fortune and Go Girls were used to by Nine to make up drama quota points one year when they were short and practically insolvent due to the NRL deal. But at the moment Australian networks are producing more Australian drama than the quota requires.
I expect that Marks and co will soon be complaining that ABC are unfairly competing against them because of all the Australian content that they commission.
I’m wondering how long before it’s portrayed as the ABC being ‘un-Australian’ for ‘failing to support our international agreements’, and ‘inefficient’ because they ‘aren’t making full use of the opportunities for available Australian content’?
Shh. Let’s not give them any more ideas.