Speech with Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP
JULIEBISHOP: Graham,thank you for welcoming us to your studio here, and I believe the last time Iwas on this set was the filming of Thor:Ragnorok, and what a great Australian production that turned out to be - amarvellous film.
Thank you for having us here today Graham, and for a very importantannouncement. I began my day with a run along the beach of Surfers Paradise, andI was reminded yet again why it is that Queensland in particular, but alsoAustralia more generally, is such a sought after location for film andtelevision production from around the world.
I thank my colleague Stuart Robert for welcoming us to his electoratehere in Fadden. I acknowledge my colleagues, my Ministerial colleagues in MitchFifield, the Minister for Communications and the Arts, Steve Ciobo, theMinister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and of course the Member forMoncrieff, Jane Prentice, the Minister for Disability Services and the otherbevy of Queensland Members, Luke Howarth, Ross Vasta and Bert van Manen - we'reall here today because we support Australia's creative industries.
Australia has some of the most talented people on the planet. They areinnovative, they are imaginative, they are enterprising, and this creativetalent can actually be quantified. Research shows that Australia's creativeindustries contribute $90 billion to our GDP - $90 billion.
One of the most valuable components of our creative economy is the filmand television production sector. We have, as Graham said, some of the most talentedpeople on the planet. When a film is produced in Australia, the array of talentavailable to that production is awesome. Whether they be actors, thank you LukeBracey for being here today, writers, producers, directors, but also skilledartisans in set design, in cinematography, in animation, in make-up, costumes, youname it. We can do it here better than anywhere else in the world. And when alarge scale film production is in Australia, on average, about 3,000 of ourtalented people are employed on that film, about 6,000 local businesses providegoods and services in support of a large budget film production.
It's a highly-competitive world. Other nations are providing incentivesto attract international investment to ensure that a large budget film isproduced in their country. Australia is a very popular destination because ofour skilled and talented workforce and our extraordinary locations, whetherthey be here in Queensland, or in far north Western Australia, or in Tasmaniaor in Sydney or anywhere in between. We have some of the most spectacular anddiverse landscapes, backdrops, settings that one could imagine.
Of course, we know that we have to compete for global capital which willgo to the most attractive destination. Many countries are offering verygenerous tax measures to attract that global capital. We must remaincompetitive. We already have in place a suite of tax measures but today, I ampleased to announce an additional component to our strategy to attractinternational investment to Australia.
The Turnbull Government, under the leadership of the Arts portfolio ofSenator Mitch Fifield, will provide a Location Incentive program. This willmean $140 million over four years will be available through a competitivegrants scheme. This will mean that our talented, skilled actors, producers, setdesigners, costume makers, make-up artists, the whole gamut of talent, has anopportunity to continue to work in Australia. A pipeline of films means morejob opportunities for Australians, not just here in Queensland, but across ourgreat land. So, it is with immense pride that I announce our Minister forCommunications and Arts, the Senator Mitch Fifield, to go through the detail ofwhat this announcement will mean. Thank you Mitch.