The Hon Rod Kemp was Minister for the Arts and Sport from Friday 23 November 2001 to Tuesday 30 January 2007. This site is available for archival purposes only.

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

New Incentives for Television Production in Australia

The Minister for the Arts and Sport, Rod Kemp, and Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer, Mal Brough , today announced the policy detail for the extension of the refundable film tax offset to big-budget television series.

“The extension to the refundable film tax offset will provide greater opportunities for Australian casts, crew, post-production companies and other services in the production of television series in Australia,” Senator Kemp said.

“Qualifying television series will enjoy the benefit of a 12.5 per cent refund of its Australian production expenditure. The extension will encourage the production of television series in Australia, with budgets and production standards rarely seen in this country.”

The tax offset was originally designed to ensure that Australia remains competitive in attracting high budget film productions.

“Legislation is currently being developed for the implementation of the extended tax offset. Access to this level of support will provide producers with even greater incentive to access Australia’s top class production facilities for television production,” Mal Brough said.

“Through this extension we have ensured that creative, innovative television series, be they drama, documentary or reality, may access the offset so that it works to complement, not restrain, a television series’ creative scope.”

These productions have the capacity to provide a number of benefits, including:

• provide stable employment and top class training opportunities for Australian creative talent and crew; and
• continue to increase Australia’s capacity to produce world-class productions.

‘In a world first, special provisions have been made to assist animated or digital productions in accessing the offset. As it did with the original film tax offset scheme, the Australian Government is again leading the way internationally in providing usable, flexible incentives which provide real returns to producers,’ Senator Kemp said.

Further information on the refundable film tax offset is available at www.dcita.gov.au/filmtaxoffset

Also see the original 11 May 2004 extension announcement (press release C043/04)

Eligibility Requirements

Full guidelines and eligibility criteria will be available on the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts’ website once the legislation has been passed.

To be eligible for the offset, a television series production will be required to meet the following anticipated criteria:

• spend a minimum of A$15 million in qualifying Australian production expenditure (QAPE) at an average of at least A$1 million QAPE per commercial hour; and
• complete principal photography for the series within 12 months, or, if the series is digital or otherwise does not involve principal photography, complete the entire series within 36 months.

The amendment will apply to expenditure incurred on eligible television series from 1 July 2004.

Eligible Australian spend relating to a pilot television production, made as a trial for an eligible and completed series, will be considered as QAPE.

To recognise the changing nature of prime time television, reality and documentary series will be eligible to apply for the offset.

Other eligibility criteria, processes for certification and general administration of the incentive will be the same as for the current film tax offset.

CANBERRA
13 April 2005
Media contact: Michael Christo, 03 9650 7274 or 0409 040276