FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY — FUNDING
1107. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Culture and the Arts:
I refer to funding for film and
television production, Screenwest and the proposed film studio in Whiteman
Park.
(1) Has the
minister considered increasing funding to Screenwest in order to assist WA in
securing future film and television projects; and, if not, why not?
(2) Other than
grant programs, what is the government doing to facilitate and support local WA
screen production, specifically in regional WA?
(3) Was the
Whiteman Park location for the studio a recommendation of the film industry;
and, if not, why was this location selected?
Hon
SAMANTHA ROWE replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question and provide the following answer on behalf of the
Minister for Culture and the Arts.
(1) The state
government provides operational funding to Screenwest through the Department of
Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. In addition to this, it
provides screen production and development funding through the Lotteries
Commission Act 1990 and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional
Development. Screenwest operational funding received an 11 per cent increase to
$3.465 million in 2022–23 and 2023–24 to increase the capacity
of Screenwest to attract new film and television productions to the state and
support the Western Australian screen industry.
(2) The state
government is developing the WA screen industry strategy to guide the
development of the screen industry in WA for
the next 10 years. The strategy is being developed with the support of a cross-government
working group with representatives from key agencies, the Department of Local
Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, the Department of Jobs, Tourism,
Science and Innovation, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional
Development, the Department of Treasury, Tourism Western Australia and Screenwest. The working group has been tasked to
deliver a strategy that is aligned with whole-of-government policies,
key policy statements including Diversify WA and the strategic outcomes of
stakeholder agencies. The strategy will align with the state's economic
diversification framework—Diversify
WA—and will increase the capability of the WA government's key screen industry commitments, including the
$105 million state-of-the-art screen production facility and the $20 million commitment to the establishment of the WA screen
production attraction incentive fund.
The screen industry strategy will leverage the existing commitment to the WA
regional screen fund of $4 million a year to facilitate further
employment and economic diversification outcomes for regional Western Australia.
(3) The Malaga location meets the criteria for the
location of the screen production facility that were established in the
problem and opportunity statement that was released to market in 2020. The
proposed 16-hectare greenfield site is located off Marshall Road to the south
of Whiteman Park and has been selected due to its
location near to the future Malaga Metronet station, its proximity to the Perth
CBD and airport, the scale of the available land and its direct access
to major transport routes for travel within the city and to regional areas of
the state.
The PRESIDENT: Thank you for
that lengthy answer, parliamentary secretary.