Screen incentives boost economy by $16.5b

Australian government production incentives have led to $16.5b in economic output over the past four years.

A new report by Olsberg SPI, since the introduction of the Offsets, found total production expenditure in Australia grew to more than A$2.2 billion in 2021/22, up 91% over the four years studied – $5.89 return for every $1 invested.

The Study on the Impact of Film and Television Production Incentives in Australia by Olsberg SPI was launched yesterday by the Australia New Zealand Screen Association (ANZSA) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) at an event at Parliament House in Canberra.

Television titles attracted to Australia under incentives include Shantaram, La Brea, Nautilus, Metropolis, Clickbait, Young Rock, Joe vs Carole, The Tourist, God’s Favorite Idiot aand Irreverent.

(L-R and back to front row) Jonathan Olsberg, Paul Muller, Luke Hetherington, Jon Kuyper,
Schuyler Weiss, Jennifer Cornwell, Kate Marks

Jonathan Olsberg – Chairman, Oslberg SPI, said, “Our study into the impact of Australia’s film and television Offsets found that Australia’s Screen production industry is a thriving economic sector, supported by a suite of effective initiatives in the form of the PDV Offset, Producer Offset and the Location Offset and Incentive. The study provides further evidence that Australia’s system of screen production Offsets helps deliver economic impact on a consistent basis.”

Leading the panel discussion was Partner & Producer, SERVO Production Services, Jon Kuyper, who supervised major productions in Australia including The Great Gatsby, Mad Max: Fury Road, Gods of Egypt and more recently produced Thirteen Lives and Woody Woodpecker. Kuyper said, “Australia’s combination of attractive incentives, world class crews and facilities, and magical locations mark it as a global best-in-class for inbound production. However it’s vital that we see some certainty around the location offset if the country is to achieve its full potential as one of the world’s leading production hubs.”

Joining Kuyper on the panel was Kate Marks (Ausfilm CEO), Luke Hetherington (Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) Executive in Charge), Schuyler Weiss (Bazmark Managing Director) and unit production manager, Jen Cornwell (Thor: Ragnarok; Kong: Skull Island; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales).

Marks said: “International productions play a crucial role alongside Australia’s domestic productions in growing Australia’s entire screen ecosystem. They are vital to skills and infrastructure development, offer significant jobs and training opportunities and enable access to the latest technology developments. A permanent 30% Location Offset would ensure a consistent pipeline of both physical production and PDV activity and cement Australia’s position as a leader in the global screen industry.”