Screen Producers Australia has lodged a 22-recommendation submission to the Australian government’s National Cultural Policy consultation, putting the market power of streaming platforms over independent producers at the center of its push for structural reform.
The body’s submission argues that the shift to digital streaming has fundamentally altered commissioning practices, leaving small and medium-sized production businesses exposed to contract terms that threaten long-term sector sustainability. SPA is pressing for a “fairness” requirement to be embedded in Australian screen regulation – whether through a terms-of-trade model or as a condition of what qualifies as “Australian” content under domestic content regimes.
“SPA has tried every avenue available to bring this untenable situation to the Government’s attention as an area of urgent regulatory need, including this year, recourse to the ACCC,” SPA CEO Matthew Deaner said. “While these pressures are being acknowledged in other sectors through the News Media Bargaining Incentive and the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry Report, SPA is pressing for a better understanding from Government about the impact of these platforms on independent screen production in Australia.”
