Furer Screen Australia Cuts

Our CEO, Matthew Deaner claims that funding cuts to Screen Australia announced today, will affect innovation and the global competitiveness of the Australian screen production industry.

For the third time in 18 months there has been a funding cut to Screen Australia. This efficiency dividend comes after almost $4 million was cut over the forward estimates earlier this year, on top of $38 million the year before. In the five years to 2018-19 this will total more than $50 million in combined cuts across budgets. This hacking at the base of Screen Australia through isolated cuts is damaging to the industry, said Mr Deaner.

Disappointingly, the cut comes a week after the Prime Ministers launch of the Innovation and Science Agenda where the screen industry's contribution to innovation was recognised with a commitment to reviewing the Location Offset designed to attract major motion pictures to be produced in Australia and provide jobs in our creative industries'.

Mr Deaner added The attraction of foreign fee-for-service work, co-production and domestic production are inextricably linked to inward investment to our sector and ultimately innovation in production businesses, processes and financing structures. This review serves as an opportunity to discuss a range of policy improvements with the new Minister. But we cannot take for granted the critical support of Screen Australia in helping underpin these activities.

We need to ensure that the engine room of local production is not disadvantaged. Screen Australia needs to continue their search for operational efficiencies, as hard as this might be, because every cut to Screen Australia's programs is a cut to business confidence. We need holistic policies that encourage more inward investment, more economic growth and more jobs through the ongoing production of projects of scale, be they under domestic or foreign control.

Media enquiries:

Lorelle Yee

0409 300 251 or lorelle.yee@screenproducers.org.au

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LINK:	http://screenproducersaustralia.org.au/news/further-screen-australia-c...
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