As part of the budget announcements last night, the Government has announced it will be slashing $750,000 per year from Screen Australia’s budget over the next four years.
This will have negative rippling impact on the Australian film industry as local commissions drop, warned Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner.
In a statement responding to the budget cuts Deaner said: “Our concerns about disproportionate cuts to Screen Australia 12 months ago are amplified following this year’s Budget announcement. To compound $38m in cuts with a further $3.6m over the coming four years will seriously impact the screen industry. This further cut of almost $1 million per year is both significant and major. Screen Australia’s investment in feature film, drama and documentaries is critical to supporting the small businesses in our sector and the content they create for Australian and global audiences.”
“These cuts are likely to come out of project investment following the existing operational efficiencies that have been implemented. As a result there will certainly be less investment in diversity. The Government must act to balance these cuts by immediately increasing the producer offset for television, with guarantees that will ensure this benefit remains with the small businesses that make up the independent production sector.”