Australia Is Making a Big, $400 Million Play for More International Film and TV Production to Come Down Under

Jack Derwin

The federal government has unveiled a $400 million incentive scheme aimed at bringing more film and TV production to Australia.

Cash grants will be used as a location incentive to lure international projects to Australian shores and come on top of the existing tax breaks offered to studios.

With borders still largely closed, the plan is intended to create a pipeline of new work for the Australian screen industry.

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Boasting early success in containing the coronavirus, Australia is trying to position itself as the next big destination for the screen industry.

Some $400 million will be spent to create a pipeline of film and television projects destined for Australian shores under a new package announced by the Morrison government.

“This is backing thousands of Australians who make their living working in front of the camera and behind the scenes in the creative economy,” the Prime Minister said.

“This investment is key to our JobMaker plan to create jobs, boost local business activity, and provide training and skills.”

The ‘location incentive’ plan will offer hundreds of millions of dollars in cash grants to productions that choose to come to Australia. It will come in addition to the lucrative existing 30% tax break on offer, with the incentive scheme to run until 2027.

It’s estimated it will create 8,000 jobs every year and encourage as much as $3 billion in spending.

The original tax incentive has already pulled major film work, including big-ticket Marvel films like “Thor: Love and Thunder”, which brought Chris Hemsworth to shot at Fox Studios in Sydney, as well as “Godzilla vs Kong”, “Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings”, and “The Alchemyst”.

Central to Australia’s proposition will be its early success in flattening the curve, the most recent Victorian outbreak notwithstanding. While major hubs like the US struggle to contain the coronavirus, Australia is looking to position itself as a safe and reliable production destination.

In bringing film work locally, the federal government expects as many as 9,000 Australian businesses to directly benefit.

“The location incentive is an economic multiplier,” Arts Minister Paul Fletcher said. “It will sustain the vitality of Australian screen production and support jobs and local businesses.

“Through this additional commitment, the government is telling the world that Australia is a desirable destination for screen production – with great locations, skilled crews, world-class talent, post-production expertise and state of the art facilities.”

While existing border controls will keep those projects at bay for the moment, the government is hoping it will begin generating new work that will begin arriving on Australian shores when viable.

When exactly that might be, not even Thor knows.