Offshore producers who want to take advantage of the federal government’s $20 million incentive to attract big budget productions to shoot Down Under can start preparing their applications.
The guidelines for the location funding will be released next week by the Office for the Arts, IF understands.
The incentive was announced in March by the then Arts Minister Simon Crean as part of the National Cultural Policy. Crean said the measure was “designed to increase Australia’s competitiveness as a world-class filming destination“ and intended as a precursor to increasing the 16.5% Location Offset should the Australian dollar remain high.
Crean did not specify that that the offset would go up to 30%, the level that Ausfilm, SPAA and other industry groups have advocated.
To qualify for the $20 million incentive, a production must spend at least $30 million in Australia. It’s available to productions that begin principal photography in Australia from July 1, with funding provided in the 2014/15 financial year.
The Arts Department will assess the applications and Arts Minister Tony Burke will make the final funding decisions.