Industry pundit blames Canberra for loss of productions ScoMo’s $300m slow-mo
SUZANNE SIMONOT, RYAN KEEN AND ANDREW POTTS
THE Federal Government has cost the Gold Coast $300 million worth of film production.
Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira said the state stood to lose its third major production in as many years if Treasurer Scott Morrison did not raise the Federal location offset from 16.5 per cent to 30 per cent.
“Blockbuster reboot Tomb Raider was looking to film in Queensland but ended up shooting in South Africa, who offer a 30 per cent location offset, along with the The Fast and Furious spin-off, which also went to another foreign territory,” Mrs Vieira said.
“Australia now has the lowest location incentive in the world.”
Mrs Vieira said New Zealand and the UK offered 25 per cent and Atlanta in the US offered 20 to 30 per cent.
“The UK and New Zealand also have much lower fringe taxes than we do,” she said.
A lack of certainty around the criteria used to decide whether or not a production qualified for the increased 30 per cent location offset in Australia was another deterrent, she said.
“What you have to do is try to get to Mitch (Fifield) or Malcolm (Turnbull) or Julie Bishop or Steve (Ciobo) or the Treasurer (Scott Morrison),” Mrs Vieira said.
“You have to track them down and get direct access and that’s not exactly easy to start with. There’s no process – you don’t know what information they’re looking for.”
Queensland has established a significant pipeline of back-to-back international productions including: Aquaman, Thor: Ragnarok, Kong: Skull Island, Pacific Rim Uprising, Jungle, The Shallows, At Last, Guardians of the Tomb and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
However, Mrs Vieira said there were no major projects locked in after the Commonwealth Games.
“There’s nothing else on the horizon. They keep saying Aquaman was great but that has come and gone,” she said.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk – also the trade minister – and Mrs Vieira met with all the major studios on a recent trade mission to the US.
The studios made it very clear that unless the federal location offset is increased, Queensland risks having no more large-scale productions.
“What countries like New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and of course the US realise is that by offering higher incentives for offshore productions, they help their local industry by creating jobs, retaining and upskilling crew, and building infrastructure,” Mrs Vieira said.
“They also generate post production, digital visual effects and animation work.”
Federal Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Steven Ciobo said the Federal Government was already providing a 16.5 per cent offset for films to come to Australia.
“If the Premier wants to top up that really offset then she should top it up,” he said. “It’s a bit rich frankly for a Premier who has no money on the table to be criticising the one level of Government that does have money on the table.
“If the Premier wants to attract this film here, there is nothing to stop her making up the difference. How much is she tipping in? I don’t know but that’s a relevant question. We’re actually tipping in money, we’re putting in 16.5 per cent.
“Let me tell you who the beneficiary is of films coming to Queensland – it’s the Queensland State Government. They are the ones who benefit from payroll tax, Queensland State Government is the one who benefits from licensing fees.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the lack of support from the Federal Government was a “slap in the face” to the people of the Gold Coast.
“There are hundreds of jobs at risk based on the Gold Coast and I want the PM to come to the party,” she said.