Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Last month, I hosted a roundtable with constituents from the Australian screen industry. All were deeply concerned at the lack of local content rules for streaming services, which is resulting in a lack of investment in Australian stories. The screen industry has seen an estimated 60 per cent reduction in work, and this puts around 55,000 jobs at risk.

After listening to their stories and hearing the impacts on their livelihoods, a petition was started to call on the government to deliver on their election promises—in 2022 and 2025, and earlier, in 2019—to legislate local content requirements for streaming services. The campaign has struck a chord. Australians love Australian stories, which is why nearly 12,000 people have now signed, showing their support. That includes actors, producers, directors, writers and voice actors, all of whom tell our homegrown stories. Many of them are here today in the gallery, and I want to thank them for their strong advocacy.

Countries such as Canada, France, Denmark, Italy and Spain have introduced local content rules, or are in the process of negotiating them, to protect their screen industry. It's time for Australia to do the same. Streamers are using the publicly funded NBN to deliver their product; we should ensure that there are Australian made stories. I call on the Prime Minister and Minister Burke to deliver on their commitment and legislate for streaming platforms to have quotas for Australian content.

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