MOVIE MAGIC, MR MORRISON
EXTRACTING a concrete response from Treasurer Scott Morrison’s office is tougher than pulling teeth.
It is not unreasonable that the Gold Coast and the film industry would want consistency in incentives from Canberra, particularly a robust tax offset, to encourage movie companies contemplating shooting major projects to choose this city.
We have film production facilities, a skilled workforce already in place, perfect weather and spectacular beach and Hinterland locations.
If Canberra takes a consistent line in cutting the tax burden – as recommended by a bipartisan parliamentary committee – the studios will come and have greater ability to employ locals and to fuel commercial activity. As the Bulletin has pointed out previously, the spin-off benefits are undeniable.
Movies such as Thor: Ragnarok, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Aquaman and Kong: Skull Island were all high budget films shot on the Gold Coast, injecting billions into the economy, employing thousands of people across a diverse range of roles and helping build that skilled workforce, which has become a drawcard in its own right for the producers.
The local industry needs Paramount, the studio behind the Dora the Explorer franchise, to opt for the Gold Coast.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk recognises the input the series would have for the Queensland economy and, by extension, the national economy. She has been putting in the legwork chasing film opportunities for the local industry.
Given the Treasurer’s reluctance to make a ruling on providing a tax incentive for Dora – and the Gold Coast has to assume the bland response from his office yesterday can be interpreted as a “no’’ – there is a huge irony given Ms Palaszczuk’s substantial contribution to the recent trade delegation to the US. She went to the big studios in Los Angeles and to TV producers and investors in New York, selling the reasons why they should be coming here.
The delegation was led by Mr Morrison’s boss, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and his Gold Coast colleague, Trade Minister Steven Ciobo.
But all of that work in talking up the industry can come undone as Mr Morrison, focusing on corporate tax cuts, apparently ignores tax incentives in the film industry that have been shown to work in the past. Indeed his own office acknowledges that, telling the Bulletin the Government recognised the benefits feature film production can bring. Arts Minister Mitch Fifield’s office meanwhile huffed that “top up’’ payments were made case by case.
On the one hand industry is told to be innovative. On the other the Government mires itself in indecision. Mr Morrison can resolve the problem by considering that it is better to have a lower tax on some money than a higher tax on none at all.