The stars aligned for Stage veteran and film buff, Rod Walker, when he managed travel for the 65th annual Australian International Movie Convention.
Australian screen dream:
how the 30% location offset will be an industry game changer
The Federal Government has now passed legislation in Parliament to increase the Location Offset to 30 per cent.
Aimed at bringing more international productions to Australian shores, the offset will also deliver millions of dollars to the broader economy and turbocharge the industry’s capacity for decades to come.
Sound like incredible news? It is!
For a bit of background, the Location Offset rebate previously sat at 16.5 per cent for international movies and series filming in the country. It was a move that brought dozens of major global blockbusters to Australian shores (think Mission Impossible 2, Mad Max: Fury Road and loads more) and just over a year ago, the government announced its intention to almost double that rebate.
To say this is an enormous win for the entire industry is an understatement. Beyond the economic boost will be increased investment into homegrown skills and infrastructure that will cement Australia’s place on the global screen and entertainment stage according to Stage and Screen General Manager Adam Moon.
“This legislation passage will create a tsunami of opportunities across the entire industry that will be felt far beyond the studios,” Adam said.
“Yes, we’ll see millions of dollars in direct foreign investment into a plethora of local businesses, but by bringing more projects, talent and expertise to Australia we will create career opportunities and pathways.
“And that will be felt far beyond the screen and encompass every aspect of production. It will mean an investment in technology like none we’ve seen before, and this will enhance our capacity and skills while supporting the implementation of new technology and training.
“The previous Location Offset of 16.5% already helped us generate record-breaking levels of foreign spend on drama productions between 2022 and 2023 according to a Screen Australia report. And this increased rebate will spark more record breaking spends and create a ripple effect that will be felt for decades to come.”
And yes, this will create some exciting opportunities for travel management companies too.
“The benefits of this rebate will flow far and wide, and for TMCs like Stage and Screen, it will mean increased opportunities to support cast, crew and the transfer of equipment to a raft of sets to ensure the production wheels keep turning,” said Adam.
“Stage and Screen has already invested significantly in tailored technology to support evolving customer requirements. And the increased foreign investment and the arrival of more global productions means exciting opportunities for us to grow and streamline new processes and deliver an exceptional experience to our customers.
“TMCs will play a major role in the months and years to come as our industry grows and more productions arrive from abroad which is why are extremely pleased that the Australian government has now passed this legislation.”
So how does the new 30 per cent rebate work and who is eligible?
The rebate applies to projects that started production after 1 July 2023. The minimum qualifying Australian production expenditure thresholds have been increased from $15 million, and $1 million per hour for television series, to $20 million, and $1.5 million per hour for television series.
To meet the eligibility requirements, productions must contribute to the broader workforce and infrastructure capacity of the sector and engage one or more Australian providers to deliver post, digital and visual effects for the production.
They must also provide new reporting to capture data including employment of Australian crew and use of Australian businesses.
