House debates

Monday, 22 February 2021

Statements by Members

Western Australia: Arts Industry

4:24 pm

Photo of Josh WilsonJosh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for the Environment) Share this | | Hansard source

On Saturday I was rapt to be down at Victoria Quay with my fellow Freo representative, Simone McGurk, for the announcement by Premier Mark McGowan and arts minister David Templeman of a game-changing $100 million commitment to long-awaited film studio infrastructure. This will supercharge what is already a strong and distinctive WA screen industry. It will sustain new jobs and new enterprises and finally allow WA to have a really serious piece of Australia's screen action, which is not just television, feature films and streamed video on demand but also gaming and emerging video functionality in areas like education, health and tourism.

I want to take a moment to reflect on Simone McGurk's efforts as Freo's WA parliamentary representative. People in the west know and respect Simone's ministerial work in critical areas like child protection and the prevention of family and domestic violence, but she has also fought hard to champion some key pieces in the revitalisation of Freo, including the Kings Square project, the new $80 million police station, $20 million for upgrades to John Curtin College of the Arts and now this incredible film studio project.

Australia's creative industry should be the foundation stone of our recovery from the pandemic, but, more than that, it should be one of the strongest and brightest sectors of our future productivity, economic activity and jobs and our storytelling and engagement with the world. The McGowan government is supporting that potential and acting on that vision; if only the Morrison government would do the same.