National Cultural Policy – a new era

Screenwest welcomes the Federal Government’s new National Cultural Policy, unveiling a number of measures which are set to have a positive impact on the Western Australian screen industry. WA Culture and Arts Minister Hon David Templeman and Screenwest CEO Rikki Lea Bestall attended the policy launch in Melbourne on 30 January, with Federal Minister for the Arts, Hon Tony Burke MP and Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese highlighting Australia’s 65,000 year history of storytelling.

Titled Revive, the policy is a five-year plan structured around five pillars:

1. First Nations First
2. A Place for Every Story
3. Centrality of the Artist
4. Strong Cultural Infrastructure
5. Engaging the Audience

The consultation process, overseen by the Office for the Arts (OFTA) ran until August 2022 with more than 1,200 submissions received. Town hall meetings were held in every state and territory, including meetings in Perth and Broome.

Commitments to support Revive include restoring and modernising the Australia Council for the Arts by establishing Creative Australia, which is set to receive an additional $199 million in funding over 4 years from 2023-24; forming a dedicated First Nations-led board to support the telling of First Nations histories and stories and strengthen the capacity of First Nations creative workers; and establishing a Centre for Arts and Entertainment Workplaces to provide advice on pay, safety and codes of conduct in the cultural sector.

Specific commitments set to benefit the local and national screen sector include:

1. Introducing Australian screen content quotas on streaming platforms to commence no later than 1 July 2024.
2. Continuing support for investment in large-scale screen productions in Australia through film tax offsets and location-based production incentives.
3. Providing security of funding and independence for Australia’s national broadcasters, ABC and SBS.
4. Introducing the Digital Games Tax Offset to support growth in large-scale games development in Australia.
5. Providing $12 million to increase investment to support digital games developers and small and medium independent games studios through Screen Australia.
6. Delivering improvements to the National Broadband Network and regional connectivity to improve digital inclusion, and social and economic opportunities for all Australians.
7. Taking forward the Commonwealth Government’s trade diversification agenda to strengthen and expand trade networks, including growing markets for cultural and creative exports.

Comments attributed to Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman:
“I’m very pleased to see the launch of the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy and the opportunities it presents for truth-telling, social and economic outcomes and reconciliation. I’m delighted to see the synergies between the policy pillars and what’s underway in WA including our planned Perth screen production facility, our Screen Production Attraction Fund and our Games and Interactive Fund.” said

“It’s fantastic to see such exciting and tangible commitments for cultural industries on a federal level, with the policy’s measures set to ultimately increase the levels of Australian-made screen content and support our local screen sector to grow and thrive”. said Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest CEO.

The launch of the National Cultural Policy can be viewed on YouTube here. The policy can be downloaded here.

Contact Screenwest

T: +61 8 6169 2100
E: info@screenwest.com.au

www.screenwest.com.au

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