Federal Budget reactions: Screen Producers, MEAA.

Industry groups Screen Producers Australia and Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance have issued statements following the Federal Budget.

Screen Producers Australia:

At a time when Australia’s screen sector is experiencing regulatory upheaval with great challenges to business on a number of fronts, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) noted today that new measures to drive industry growth were not featured in last night’s Federal Budget announcement which instead maintained an unsatisfactory business as usual approach.

While the Budget figures appear to show a significant drop in funding to Screen Australia from nearly $40 million in 2021-22 to just over $11 million by 2023-24, this figure reflects a return to previous levels of funding for the agency prior to the pandemic.

These Budget figures reflect the cessation of programs that were brought in, in part to smooth industry transition to proposed new arrangements the majority of which have never been fully implemented, as well as temporary pandemic measures.

A review of the funding support needed to maintain and enhance Screen Australia’s objectives is urgently required as well as a fulsome response to the policy settings needed to create valuable and sustainable investment into the sector.

We note the $4.0 million to establish the Australian Content Reporting and Investment Framework to support the provision of Australian content to Australian audiences, in relation to subscription video on demand (SVOD) services.

We previously welcomed the announcement of this scheme which supports a recognition that Australians should be able to see and hear their stories and culture on the services they are now using in record numbers. However, SPA also reiterates its position advocating for increased levels of Australian content from SVOD services and believes that the 5% proposal in the Morrison Government’s Streaming Services Discussion Paper will not deliver the growth or industry certainty needed to secure the future of Australia’s screen industry.

We welcome other measures that are sector non-specific including:

• • the Technology Investment Boost will enable small businesses with an annual turnover of less than $50 million to claim a bonus 20 per cent deduction for the cost of expenses and depreciating assets, up to $100,000 of expenditure per year with eligible expenditure including items such as portable payment devices, cyber security systems and subscriptions to cloud-based services;
  • $18.6 million over 3 years from 2022-23 to establish a pilot program to provide unique digital and data training and employment opportunities for regional Australians;
  • We acknowledge measures such as the second round of the Supporting Cinemas’ Retention Endurance and Enhancement of Neighbourhoods (SCREEN) Fund to support independent cinemas affected by COVID-19 and the extension of the Temporary Interruption Fund for a further 6 months to 30 June 2022 were already announced by the Minister in December 2021.

Our takeaway is that unless a number of reforms are made to the policies that support our sector, this will ultimately lead to the sector’s decline.

Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance:

Last night’s Federal Budget continues a pattern of neglect and contempt for Australian arts by the Coalition Government, says the union for arts and entertainment workers.

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance says the sector is doomed to return to the under-investment of the pre-COVID years with the Budget documents showing federal government spending on the arts treading water at best as short-term relief for the pandemic is wound up.

There are no new initiatives in the Budget, and some agencies will suffer a funding cut in the next financial year.

“This year’s Budget continues a pattern of neglect and lack of vision for the arts by the Morrison Government,” said MEAA Chief Executive Paul Murphy.

“It is well documented that the arts and entertainment sectors have been devastated by the impact of COVID-19. Shows were cancelled, livelihoods lost, and countless workers have left the industry.

“The Federal Government continues to maintain the fiction that it provided billions of dollars in support for arts workers through JobKeeper, but the reality is that very little of the emergency funding provided has filtered down to arts workers.

“What is worse is that now the ‘emergency’ is over, that funding will dry up over the next 12 months with a pitiable allocation of just $20 million towards recovery from COVID.

“Is there no limit to the contempt this government holds for arts workers?”

MEAA analysis of the Budget reveals that the allocation to regional arts will fall from $18 million this year to $7.5 million next year, and support for film and television will be slashed from $195 million to $150 million. Funding to Screen Australia will be cut from $109.9 million to $98.3 million.

While the Australia Council has avoided major cuts, there is no new investment for it or other major cultural institutions.

The Budget papers confirm the end of the funding freeze which cost the ABC $84 million over the past three years, but no measures to rectify the massive cuts to ABC funding since 2013.

“Since the Coalition has been in power $526 million has been slashed from ABC and 640 jobs have been lost,” Mr Murphy said.

“The restoration of indexation merely means the end of a freeze that should never have been introduced in the first place.”