Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australian stories matter. They reflect the community we live in, they show us the faces that look like us and they put Australian culture and creativity on our screens. No-one knows this better than the first storytellers, the First Nations Australians, who have been passing their stories through the generations for over 60,000 years.

The Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025, led by the Minister for the Arts, requires for the first time that streaming services invest in local Australian content. This is a commitment we made in the National Cultural Policy, and the Prime Minister recommitted to it during the election. With this bill, we deliver on that commitment, making sure that Australians, no matter where they choose to watch their media, have access to Australian content.

Australians are embracing new ways of watching media, including through online subscription services like Netflix and Amazon. In any given week in 2024, 63 per cent of Australians used a streaming platform to watch their shows and movies, while 70 per cent watched on free-to-air platforms, either broadcast on their TV or through an app or website. Younger people are more likely to watch on streaming services, with 76 per cent of people aged 25 to 34 using a streaming service. Streamers have brought rich and entertaining content from overseas to Australia—shows like The Diplomat, The Summer I Turned Pretty and Yellowjackets.

More importantly, they've provided a new place for Australian content to flourish. This was clear at this year's Logie Awards, where shows like The Twelve on Binge and Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix were winners, alongside content from our Australian broadcasters. The success of these shows demonstrate how powerful Australian content is also good business for streamers. It is important for Australians to see themselves on screen. It helps us to better understand our neighbours and ourselves, and it allows the world to better see us. Australian stories help shape our national identity, define who we are and make us recognisable on the international stage. We need more shows like these. While many streamers are producing great content, we want every streamer to be doing their fair share to help our Australian production sector to grow and to thrive.

Australian content requirements on our public and commercial free-to-air broadcasters have been in place for over 65 years. The ABC Charter requires the ABC to broadcast programs that contribute to Australia's sense of national identity, inform and entertain and reflect the cultural diversity of the community. Last financial year, they more than met this requirement, investing $147 million in Australian content. The ABC is the largest commissioner of Australian scripted content, partnering with the independent production sector to bring the best and most ambitious Australian drama and comedy to TV screens. Kitty Flanagan's Fisk on the ABC was the standout at this year's Logie Awards, winning in five categories. It's the ABC that does the heavy lifting on Australian children's content, investing $21 million last financial year.

Australian content quotas for commercial television were first introduced in the 1960s to ensure that Australians had access to stories and could see their culture, language and values reflected on screen. Since then, Australian content has thrived on these networks. In 2024 the Nine Network reported an average of 81 per cent Australian programs across its primary metropolitan channels. The Seven Network reported 77 per cent and Network 10 reported 64 per cent. Shows like Home and Away and Neighbours have helped shape Australia today. Who would we be without the people of Summer Bay and Ramsay Street, or without McLeod's Daughters, Offspring or Blue Heelers? Shows like these have been central to our cultural identity. Until now, no requirements have existed for streaming services.

In October I had the opportunity to visit a beloved Australian production in my home town of Brisbane, Bluey. The Ludo crew showed me, along with my twins, the incredible craftmanship they put into every episode. They even let the twins have a hand at helping the animation team and tried out a suggestion from Dash to turn Bluey's fur from her famous blue to red. From script to storyboard, animation and sound design, Bluey isn't just a show to the Ludo team; it is a labour of love. At the end of every week they sit down as a team to watch the episode they have made together. Once they are done, they release that show out into the world, and families across Australia and the world do exactly the same. Not only is that little Aussie blue heeler the most streamed show in Australia; it is topping the US charts. Driving around Brisbane you see inspiration for Bluey everywhere, from New Farm Park to the Brisbane Powerhouse and in our weekend sausage runs to Bunnings.

When I sat down with Charlie and Dan from Ludo, along with Matt and Jane from the Screen Producers Association, they told me that putting a local content requirement in place for streaming services was critical. I want to thank the Bluey team, especially Charlie and Dan, for sharing their story with me. They told me that the shows they produce today are the ecosystem of tomorrow's creators and producers. The more shows that are produced in Australia, the more Australia's production sector will grow.

That's why we are legislating that streaming services in Australia with one million or more Australian subscribers will need to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure for Australia, with 7.5 per cent of their revenue to go on new, local content. Eligible content includes drama, children's, documentary, arts and educational programs. Total program expenditure includes expenditure for all eligible programs available on a regulated streaming service for its Australian service, except news or sports programs. This includes an Australian portion of programs that are globally commissioned or licensed.

Some streaming services will already be meeting the future obligations, while others will need to spend more money than they currently are. Any services operating in Australia that are not currently commissioning Australian content will need to start doing so in order to meet their obligations under the new requirements. These requirements are the outcome of a lot of consultation with streaming services, broadcasters, producers and creators. I thank everyone who participated in the consultation process and those who have engaged with me and my team since I became Minister for Communications in May.

The requirements in this bill will give vital support to our domestic screen sector and our arts workers, by ensuring that quality local stories continue to be produced in Australia. The legislation delivers on our commitment in the National Cultural Policy—Revive to set local content requirements for streaming services. It recognises that Australia's people and their stories are our greatest cultural asset. The goal of this legislation is simple: we want Australians to be able to see Australian stories, no matter where they choose to watch. We want Australia's screen sector to thrive. We want to see new technology bring opportunities for Australian producers, writers and actors, and the many crew members who help bring a show together.

In July I watched Australian icon Magda Szubanski be inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame. I looked around the room wondering where our next Aussie icon will come from. Whether they get their start on the ABC, on a free-to-air broadcast, on an Australian streamer like Stan or a global streamer like Netflix, this legislation means there will be more opportunities for our future icons. It means Australia's production sector will continue to grow. It means that, no matter where they watch, every Australian will be able to see Australian stories on their screens.

Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When we think about what has shaped the cultural identity of most of the people fortunate enough to sit in this place, we think of the stories told on our screens. We recall with fondness Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, A Country Practice, Hey Hey It's Saturday and, particularly for those of us who grew up in Melbourne, Neighbours. Old people like me think of Seven Little Australians and The Sullivans. Some of us picked up career inspiration from shows like The Young Doctors, and some of the more wily members of this house likely picked up a few tips on how to win friends and influence people from Prisoner, Total Control, or even Underbelly.

Those shows did more than just entertain us; they reflected who we are on screen. We recall films like Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Getting of Wisdom and Breaker Morant, which captured our unique continent and our history. Those productions didn't just create memories; they created jobs—thousands of them—in writing, acting, directing and the trades that underpin our arts sector. Those stories mattered. They told us who we were and who we could be. They gave us Australian voices, Australian artists and Australian landscapes. They built an industry that trained generations of creative professionals, legends like Jack Thompson, Jacki Weaver, Kylie Minogue and Peter Weir, and they exported a unique talent to the world.

Today, that cultural foundation is under threat. Australians are consuming less Australian content than ever before. For the first time, in 2023 less than half of Australians watched free-to-air TV, where local content has historically dominated. Last year, more Australians watched subscription video on demand services like Netflix than live free-to-air or broadcast video on demand. On the other hand, nine out of ten of us use an online streaming service, where global giants like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime dedicate only a small fraction of their catalogues to Australian content.

The proportion of Australian-made drama and children's programming commissioned to these platforms has been steadily falling for years. Instead, our screens are dominated by high-quality, well funded, aggressively marketed overseas content, while local stories struggle to find a local audience.

It's not because Australians don't want to see or hear Australian stories; in fact, well over two-thirds of us think it's important to have new and diverse Australian dramas and documentaries. We're not watching our own stories because the playing field on these global platforms is tilted in favour of global content. For years now, overseas streaming giants have operated here without any obligation to invest in our culture. They take billions in subscription revenue from Australian households but return only a fraction of that to Australian creators. Quotas for local content have long been mandated for commercial free-to-air television. We've also mandated that subscription television services providing drama channels must meet local drama expenditure requirements, and commercial free-to-air broadcasters have been subject to licensing fees, so it is by no means a novel that users of our airways pay for their use or are required to show certain forms of content. For some time, though, the outlier has been the subscription services, which are currently essentially unregulated in Australia.

That is why this bill matters, but it's also why this bill is really disappointing. It sets a baseline of 10 per cent of program expenditure or 7.5 per cent of Australian derived revenue must go to the production of new Australian programs. This is not a content requirement; it is an expenditure requirement. Major subscription video-on-demand services are required under this bill to meet a certain level of expenditure on new, eligible Australian programs, but there is no requirement to carry or to provide a defined amount of Australian content. This is at odds with the government's own national cultural policy, Revive, released in January 2023, which recommended the government introduce requirements for Australian screen content on streaming platforms to ensure continued access to local stories and content, and that it do so no later than 1 July 2024. This requirement is at odds with the minister's claims in this chamber in the last half hour that a content quota is absolutely critical—we do not have one.

The concern is that in the absence of content quotas we will see the odd big-budget production based in Australia, with lots of bucks spent here over a short time, but not the ongoing grassroots support of the industry that it so desperately needs. The government has set the bar very low in requiring a 10 per cent program expenditure or 7.5 per cent of Australian derived revenue for new Australian programs. That's not nearly enough. It's significantly lower than the level previously suggested as desirable by the Albanese government and advocated for by industry. The interim report of the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications' inquiry suggested two models for local content requirements: a progressive model requiring up to 30 per cent obligation for services with more than five million subscribers; or a revenue model in which specified services would have to spend 10 per cent of their Australian revenue on new local drama.

Many nations which we would consider to be our peers impose significantly greater levies or investment obligations than we are proposing in this bill. Compare the requirements set out in this bill to those of France, where streamers must invest at least 20 per cent of local revenue in French content. Across the European Union, catalogues must include at least 30 per cent European works. Those nations understand that local stories and local jobs matter, and that without strong protections local voices will be drowned out by global giants.

Media reporting suggests the government believes that all but one current streamer already meet the expenditure requirements outlined in this bill. If that is true, it suggests that, rather than encouraging additional expenditure in Australian content, this legislation will act only to ensure that the current levels of spending are maintained. If those reports are accurate, it's inadequate and it's disingenuous of the government to project that this legislation is a step forward. That's why I and my crossbench colleagues called on the government earlier this year to deliver on its promise and to legislate for streaming platforms to invest at least 20 per cent of Australian revenue in Australian stories as a matter of urgency. I note that a 20 per cent requirement was also proposed by the Australian Writers Guild and by Screen Producers Australia.

If we want Australian stories told and Australia's creative industries to thrive, it's absolutely critical that our most popular streaming platforms serve them up to Australian audiences. We have to stand up for what we believe to be important. Australian culture is important to us all.

Our creatives are bold. They're adventurous. They're challenging. But this legislation is none of those things. We should double the requirement in this bill, to match the ambition of our peers and the expectations of our creatives, and we should improve the legislation so that there is no wiggle room for streaming services to apply Hollywood accounting to how they ascribe proportionate value to programs. The Senate inquiry heard from Screen Producers Australia of its concern that the legislation in this current form is unclear on how proportionate value would be calculated. The regulator needs to be able to see the platform's books. This can't be a matter of self-reporting and of self-regulation by the industry.

This isn't just about culture; it's about jobs. Investment in Australian content supports writers, actors, producers and technicians. It sustains regional economies. It builds pathways for young Australians who dream of telling their stories on screen. But it's also about telling the world about us. It's about increasing trade and tourism to this country.

Australians deserve to see themselves front and centre on their screens. We deserve shows that speak to our lives, our communities, our history and our country. Our creative workers deserve a fair share of the revenue flowing to global platforms, and because we and they deserve this, it is critical to set content production requirements that protect, promote and progress our cultural identity for this generation and for every generation to come.

Ash Ambihaipahar (Barton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025. This bill is a significant step forward for our cultural influence, for our local screen sector and for every Australian who deserves to see their own stories reflected in shows they watch, no matter what screen they view them on.

When Australians think about stories that have shaped us, connected us and helped to define who we are, they are not thinking about content created overseas; they are thinking of shows, characters and worlds that feel distinctly Australian. We think of classics like Kath & Kim, which captured the humour and charm of Aussie suburban life. We think of Bluey, which has become a world success because it speaks to families everywhere while staying very much true to Australians. We think of The Secret Life of Us and its portrayal of friendships and young adulthood in St Kilda. We think of documentaries like Fire Front, which helped the nation understand the summer bushfires through the voices of those who lived them.

Australian storytelling is not just produced by large studios or major broadcasters; it is nurtured in our communities, in our suburbs and in grassroots creative organisations that provide pathways for people who would otherwise never get the opportunity to see themselves on screen or contribute to the creative process. My electorate of Barton is home to two extraordinary organisations that embody the spirit of Australian storytelling: Shopfront Arts Co-op and Bus Stop Films.

Shopfront Arts has been a local establishment for youth arts development for decades. It is a place where young people come to tell their own stories and to learn the craft of performance, filmmaking, writing and collaboration. It is a place that celebrate difference and creativity. When you walk into Shopfront in Carlton, you feel the energy of young people who are being empowered to speak in their own voices. They create short films, theatre works, digital media and documentaries that reflect the world as they see it. These are not just creative projects; they are the early seeds of Australian content, nurtured locally and driven by authenticity.

Bus Stop Films is another organisation that makes our community proud. They have become a global leader in inclusive filmmaking, working with people with disability to deliver world-class film production, training and storytelling. Their films have travelled internationally and have won awards. But, more importantly, they have changed the landscape of representation. They have given people with disability the opportunity to be in front of the camera, behind the camera and part of the creative process at every single level. Bus Stop Films shows us what modern Australian storytelling should look like: inclusive, diverse, meaningful and empowering.

These organisations prove that Australian content does not start with big studios. It starts with local talent, community support and opportunities to be seen and heard. Shopfront Arts and Bus Stop Films are the incubators for the next generation of creators, producers, actors, editors and cinematographers. They demonstrate what is possible when local stories are invested in and when diversity is embraced.

This bill ensures that the platforms with the greatest power in the screen landscape also carry their share of responsibility to support content and production like this. The bill requires major streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers to invest at least 10 per cent of their total program expenditure on new Australian commissions or first release acquisitions. For those who choose the alternative, it will be 7.5 per cent of their gross Australian revenue.

This is fair, balanced and essential to ensure that creativity does not become centralised in overseas content pipelines. It ensures that organisations like Shopfront Arts and Bus Stop Films will have a stronger future because the broader industry will be healthier, better funded and more committed to telling stories from every corner of Australia. These stories matter. They help us understand each other. They reflect our culture back to us. They build pride, they challenge us and they connect us.

Yet the reality is that more and more Australians are watching content on streaming platforms. But those platforms are not currently required to invest in Australian stories in the same way that free-to-air broadcasters have been required to do for decades, and that has created a growing imbalance. It means that, unless action is taken, Australian storytelling is at risk of being overshadowed or underfunded in the new streaming era.

The Albanese Labor government promised that our national cultural policy, Revive, would restore, rebuild and restrengthen our creative sector. At the heart of Revive is a simple truth: Australian stories are our greatest cultural asset. This bill delivers on that truth. It delivers on the commitment made by the Prime Minister and the Minister for the Arts during the election campaign. It delivers on a promise to protect and promote Australian content for generations to come.

This bill introduces an Australian content obligation on major streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers. These services will be required to invest at least 10 per cent of their total program expenditure in Australia on Australian commissions or first release acquisitions and key formats. These formats include drama, children's programs, documentaries, arts programs and educational programs. These are the kinds of programs that shape culture, influence imagination and spark creativity.

This policy is fair, balanced and future focused. It recognises the scale of the major streaming platforms and the significant influence they have over what Australians watch. It ensures that investment is linked directly to their presence in the Australian market. It recognises that consumers deserve continued access to local stories across all screens, not just traditional television.

The bill uses the same definition of Australian content that already applies to free-to-air broadcasters. It provides a three-year carryover period for program expenditure to give companies flexibility in meeting their obligations, and it requires a statutory review to take place four years after the scheme begins. This ensures transparency, accountability and the ability to adapt as new technologies and audience behaviours evolve.

Importantly, this bill applies only to major streaming services. It does not apply to platforms with user-generated content, to services that rely solely on advertising revenue, or to niche services with limited public appeal. It does not apply to services that rely solely on one-off transactions or that operate for short-term special events. The bill is carefully targeted to the services with significant reach and financial capacity. This legislation is not only about economics, although the economic benefits will be quite substantial. It is about the value of culture. It is about identity. It is about ensuring that future generations grow up with shows that reflect their lives and their communities. It is about making sure that young people in suburbs like Hurstville, Carlton, Clemton Park and across the electorate of Barton can see themselves on the screen. When a child sees themselves represented, it expands their sense of possibility. It shows them that they belong. When a community sees its story told with accuracy and respect, it strengthens social cohesion, it creates pride and it makes Australia a richer and more inclusive society.

For decades Australian television has nurtured the carers of our actors, writers, producers, directors and crew. People have gone on to succeed on the world stage. I'm thinking of Nicole Kidman, Chris Hemsworth, Deborra-Lee Furness and so many others. Their journeys began because Australian content was funded, supported and valued. This bill ensures the next generation will have the same opportunity. Without this reform, Australian stories are at risk of being left behind. Other countries already have strong local content rules for streaming platforms. Canada has required investment in Canadian content. Europe has mandated quotas for European works. Australia cannot afford to fall behind, especially when we have one of the most talented and innovative screen industries in the world. Our actors, screenwriters and production crews deserve certainty, our local production companies deserve stability and our audiences deserve authenticity.

In the electorate of Barton we have families who watch Bluey together on weekends, seniors who love watching local documentaries, young people who binge Australian dramas and new migrants who learn about Australia through the stories we tell. Representations matters, fair access matters and cultural visibility matters. We should not underestimate how important it is for Australians to see themselves on screen, whether this is through shows like TheNewsreader, which explores the media landscape of the 1980s, or Heartbreak High, which reconnects young audiences with stories of contemporary Aussie high-school life. These shows reflect our humour, diversity, challenges and triumphs. They show Australia in all of its complexity and beauty. This bill ensures that these kinds of stories will continue to be made.

While this bill strengthens Australian content obligations, it also sends a message to the world. It says that Australia values its creative industries, that we trust our artists and storytellers, that we believe in our capacity to create world-class content that can reach global audiences while staying proudly Australian. I am proud to be part of a government that is investing in culture, creativity and the stories that hold us together. This bill supports jobs, the economy and our national identity. It supports the idea that Australia should not simply consume stories from abroad but also contribute stories that enrich the global conversation.

As the federal member for Barton, one of the most culturally diverse electorates in the country, I know how important it is for people to see their heritage, languages and experiences represented truthfully. From the children in our multicultural schools to the families I meet at community festivals, people want to see themselves reflected on screen like they want to see themselves reflected in this Parliament House. They want to see Australian stories that acknowledge their contributions and their place in our national story. This bill makes it possible.

I commend the Minister for the Arts and the Prime Minister for their leadership. I'm incredibly proud to represent a community that is home to creative organisations with such heart, purpose and talent. Shopfront and Bus Stop Films are shaping the next generation of Australian storytellers. They prove that when we invest in local creativity we do not only produce content; we produce confidence, belonging, pride and opportunity. This bill supports them, it supports the broader industry and it supports every Australian, who deserve to see themselves reflected on screen.

I commend the screen sector and Screen Producers Australia for their continued advocacy, and I commend the many Australian creators whose talent, passion and perseverance has kept Australian storytelling alive even during the most challenging years. This bill is for them. This bill is for our future children. I proudly support this bill and encourage all members of the House to do the same.

Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens have long campaigned for local content quotas on streaming platforms. Big tech companies, like Netflix and Amazon, who make massive profits from Australians, should be required to have Australian content that gives back to the Australian economy and contributes to a stable, thriving local screen industry. Australians deserve to have ourselves, our community and our stories reflected on our screens. It helps us make sense of who we are. It's even more important that these stories are told in our kids' content. Generations have grown up on shows like Play School, Round the Twist, which was a favourite for my kids—was that really last century?—and Bluey. Our kids deserve better than a diet of generic American cartoons. They need to hear stories told about our community, too.

The Greens will support this bill in the House, and reserve our position in the Senate. I want to speak a bit more about the importance of our local screen industry and perhaps one of Brisbane's greatest home-grown success stories. I am very proud to say that Bluey and the Heeler family live in my electorate of Ryan. That's disputed by some. There are people out there who claim that Bluey lives in Red Hill. But I know they live in The Gap or maybe Bardon, or the western part of Ashgrove or Auchenflower or Toowong or indeed Paddington. In any case, I'm proud of what Bluey represents—that is, Brisbane at its best.

Everyone should be able to live the Heeler family dream and own a beautiful home, have secure jobs and a heap of time for the kids—whether that is playing keepy-uppy, octopus or zoo—access to beautiful natural spaces and natural surrounds. Everyone should be able to walk up to the lookout at Mt Coot-tha, play a game of cricket in Wittonga Park in The Gap, or head to the city for a day at South Bank. Sure, the parents are tired—being a parent is tiring—but they've got what they need to live a good life. They could use more public transport, to be honest. Here is the thing though: the Heeler family wouldn't be able to afford their place if they were buying now. More and more people are further and further away from this Bluey dream. In a wealthy country like Australia, that's just not right.

Renee Coffey (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For many of us, Australian stories live in our memories as moments on screen that marked out whole chapters of our lives. We remember Scott and Charlene's wedding on Neighbours with the classic 1980s big hair and big shoulder pads, when it felt like the nation pressed pause to watch two young Aussies say 'I do' and then talked about it at school and work the next day. Who can forget sitting around the television for Molly's death on A Country Practicea heartbreaking scene in the garden—tissues in hand, as families right across the country cried together. That slow fade to black still feels like a punch in the gut to me today. We remember the collective shock and outrage when Dr Patrick died on Offspring. That gut punch of an episode had people texting other as the credits rolled, wondering how a fictional character could make us feel we had lost a friend. Even the New South Wales Police joined in the drama, posting, 'We appreciate your calls but we cannot arrest anyone at Channel 10 for killing Patrick.' Who could forget the visual of Maggie, clutching her proud bargain purchase of roadside oranges on Mother and Son or the chaotic moment as a dozen oranges wreaked havoc at the graveside—my mother threatened to buy some oranges on the way to a recent funeral—or Ernie Dingo in the house auction skit of Fast Forward.

With my remaining minutes, we could barely scratch the surface of the countless incredible scenes and iconic lines from Kath and Kim. I'm sure we could hotly debate our favourites. We all know of course, it's when Kath fake-tanned her wrong arm. These moments stayed with us because they were ours—Australian characters, Australian heartbreak, Australian humour—beamed into living rooms and woven into our shared story.

In Griffith, I see every day how much stories matter. On week nights in West End, Woolloongabba, Coorparoo and Carina, families pile on the couch after dinner, kids in school uniforms or pyjamas, flicking through channels trying to find something to watch together. Sometimes it's an Australian drama like Home and Away or Neighbours that looks like the beaches and cul-de-sacs in the community. Sometimes it's an original docuseries like Annabel Crabb'sCivic Duty, which highlights to us the remarkable story of the uniquely Australian democratic system that we all rightly treasure. Sometimes they land on Bluey, that little blue heeler from Brisbane who has become global superstar. Whilst I hear the member for Ryan's comments, I have heard some argue that Bluey, in fact, does live in Griffith. What this amendment is about is very simple: making sure that, no matter which platform the people of Griffith and across Australia choose, they can still find Australian stories on their screens.

Revive, our national cultural policy, is a five-year plan to renew and rebuild Australia's arts, entertainment and cultural sector. It sets out a simple but powerful vision: 'a place for every story, a story for every place'. At the heart of Revive is a recognition that our people and our stories are our greatest cultural asset. Stories shape how our kids see themselves. They tell migrants and refugees that their experience belongs here and enriches our country. They help us understand First Nations cultures, which have cared for this continent for tens of thousands of years.

Revive also identified the need for Australian screen content requirements on streaming platforms, recognising that, as audiences shift from free-to-air and pay television to subscription video-on-demand, we must make sure local stories are not crowded out or allowed to disappear from our screens and platforms. For many years, Australian content rules have applied to free-to-air television and subscription broadcasters. The Broadcasting Services Act 1992 and the Broadcasting Services (Australian Content and Children's Television) Standards 2020 require commercial broadcasters to meet Australian content quotas, including a minimum of 55 per cent Australian programming between 6 am and midnight on primary channels and specific first-release quotas for Australian drama and children's content. These rules exist for a reason. They make sure that our screens reflect our own identity and diversity and that local creators have a fair go in their own market.

The way we access and watch our content has changed. Families in Griffith, including my own, are watching more streamed content than ever before. Platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, Stan, Amazon Prime and others have brought extraordinary choice and some remarkable shows, but, unlike traditional broadcasters, they currently have no baseline obligation to invest in Australian stories. Industry has been clear about the risk: without local content requirements on streaming platforms, Australian drama, kids programs and documentaries will be squeezed out by cheaper imports and global productions; producers will struggle to finance local projects; crews will face insecure work; and Australian will kids grow up seeing fewer and fewer shows that sound like them and look like the streets they walk down.

Revive promised a renewed commitment, and now we are putting this plan into action. This bill amends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to introduce Australian content expenditure requirements for subscription video-on-demand streaming services. It also makes consequential amendments to the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005 so the regulator can oversee and enforce the new framework. For the first time, major streaming services operating in Australia—those with more than one million Australian subscribers—will be required to make a minimum investment in new Australian content.

The first thing the bill provides is a 10 per cent expenditure obligation. Regulated streaming services will be required to invest at least 10 per cent of their total program expenditure for their Australian service on new Australian commissions or first-release acquisitions of eligible programs. Total program expenditure includes spending on all eligible programs available to Australian subscribers, except news or sport, and includes the Australian share of globally commissioned or licensed content. Eligible formats include drama, children's programs, documentaries, and arts and educational programs.

The second thing is a flexible 7.5 per cent revenue option. As an alternative, providers can choose a voluntary pathway where their obligation is calculated as 7.5 per cent of their gross Australian revenue, again limited to those same eligible program types. This hybrid model recognises that different businesses have different expenditure patterns while still guaranteeing a meaningful level of local investment.

The third thing is a clear, consistent definition of Australian content. The bill uses the existing definition of Australian content in the Broadcasting Services (Australian Content and Children's Television) Standards 2020, the same framework that currently applies to free-to-air and subscription broadcasters. That means a level playing field across platforms and continuity for producers who already work within those rules.

The fourth thing is a three-year carry-over period. Screen production works in multi-year cycles. Some years will be heavier on commissions than others. To reflect that reality, services will have a three-year carry-over period to acquit their program expenditure. Over-delivery in one year can be carried forward to assist in meeting obligations in subsequent years.

The fifth thing relates to review and accountability. The bill requires a statutory review four years after the obligations commence to make sure the scheme is effective and fit for purpose, and to consider whether adjustments are needed. Breaches of the new obligations will be subject to civil penalties, with ACMA empowered to monitor compliance—just as it does for existing television content rules.

The sixth thing relates to targeted scope and sensible exemptions. These obligations are aimed squarely at major subscription streaming services. They do not apply to services that offer predominantly user-generated content, services that do not have paying subscribers and rely wholly on advertising, services that only make money from one-off transactions, services with limited appeal or special interest audiences or services that only operate for a special event or provide content of very limited appeal. This ensures that we do not burden small or niche platforms, and focus obligations where they will have the greatest cultural impact.

In short, this amendment guarantees a minimum level of investment in Australian stories on the platforms Australians increasingly use while giving services flexibility in how they meet that obligation. People in Griffith are not thinking about the Broadcasting Services Act when they sit down to stream a show after work. They just want good content that feels like it belongs to them. What this amendment means for them is that, when they open a streaming app, there will be Australian stories there. There will be stories with our accents, humour, landscapes and diversity. It means more shows like Bluey being made here and shared with the world. Content like Bluey connects Australians with who they are and helps us share that worldwide.

For workers in Queensland's screen sector, this amendment means greater certainty. Queensland's screen industry is already a major contributor to our state economy, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in production expenditure and providing jobs for skilled Queenslanders and diverse local businesses. We see that in studios across Brisbane, on sets around our suburbs and at the Screen Queensland facilities that are attracting domestic and international productions to our state.

A stronger pipeline of Australian commissions on streaming platforms means more work for writers, directors, actors and crew. It means more opportunities for post-production houses, costume and set builders, caterers and small businesses. And it means more chances for students in our local schools and TAFEs who dream of a career in film, television or digital production. For First Nations storytellers in our community, this also means more platforms to share stories that are so central to who we are as a nation, which is a key focus of Revive. And for parents in Griffith it means our children will be able to grow up with new Australian kids shows that reflect their world and values, not just imported content. The voices on the screen will not just come from somewhere else; they will sound like the kids in their classroom.

The 10 per cent expenditure obligation with an optional 7.5 per cent revenue based pathway gives companies choice in how they meet their obligations. The three-year carry-over period reflects real production cycles. The four-year review ensures that we can adjust settings if they are not delivering the intended outcomes. This is not regulation for regulation's sake. It is carefully calibrated framework that aligns streamers with obligations that free-to-air and pay TV already meet. It gives certainty to industry and workers, and guarantees audiences access to Australian content across all major platforms. Labor has always believed that culture is not an optional extra. It is part of the basic fabric of a fair, confident and cohesive country. Revive repositions arts and culture as central to Australia's future alongside health, education and jobs.

This bill is one concrete way to give life to that idea. It delivers on the commitment made in Revive to introduce Australian content requirements for streaming services. It delivers on the commitment made by our prime minister and the Minister for the Arts during the election campaign. And it delivers on the commitments from the Minister for Communications and the Minister for the Arts to legislate an Australian content obligation on streaming platforms. It says to every child in Griffith who wants to write, act, animate or direct that there will be space for their story. It says to every worker in our screen and creative industries that their skills and jobs matter, and this Albanese Labor government is prepared to put in place the rules that give them a fair go. It says to audiences that, in a global market with endless choice, Australian stories will not be left to chance; they will be guaranteed.

In Griffith, we know that, when our kids see themselves and their communities reflected on screen, they feel that this country truly belongs to them. The Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill is about making sure that, as technology changes, that simple truth does not. It's about putting Australian stories in front of Australian audiences on every screen. It is consistent with our national cultural policy. It is backed by industry analysis. It is fair to platforms and vital for workers. It honours the promise we made to ensure a place for every story and a story for every place for the families of Griffith, for Queensland's screen sector and for everyone who believes that Australian stories matter.

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

I welcome the government finally delivering on their promise to implement the local content obligations on streaming providers. It's an ambitious and progressive reform designed to safeguard our cultural identity, strengthen creative industries and ensure global platforms contribute their fair share, with Australian screen jobs, children's content and cultural representation very much at stake.

We are so lucky in Warringah to have a vibrant community of screen industry professionals: writers, directors, documentary makers, producers and emerging creators. In August, I met with a group in the industry who explained frankly the impact that the industry has felt under the current status quo. It was dwindling investment, shrinking commissioning opportunities and a deep fear that, without legislative obligations, Australian stories would disappear from our screens and through streaming platforms. These Warringah professionals are talented, innovative and determined, but they are under real pressure. Without legislative obligations, the ecosystem that sustains Australian storytelling is at breaking point. From hearing those stories, I launched the Save Australian Stories petition, which called on the government to fulfil the promise they made—first at the 2019 election, 2022 and then 2025—and to ensure that Australian content remains visible, accessible and adequately funded. The support was clear. Within a month of launching the petition, we reached more than 13,000 signatures from people across the industry and across Australia.

Australian broadcasting has long relied on local content quotas to ensure Australians see themselves reflected on screen. But, while traditional networks continue to shoulder obligations, global streaming platforms—now dominant in Australian households—have operated without equivalent responsibilities. Labor repeatedly promised to introduce Australian content obligations for streaming platforms, yet this was languishing and nothing was happening. For years the sector has been left in uncertainty. Consultations were held again and again, alongside discussion papers, roundtables and expert panels. All the while, investment in Australian content dwindled. Now what we know is that there were some 60,000 Australian screen jobs at risk without these legislative quotas. Representation is slipping. Women and under-represented creators hold only 34 to 36 per cent of key creative roles. Modelling shows that this could fall to two per cent within two decades without mandated investment.

The Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill proposes that streamers with more than one million Australian subscribers must invest either 10 per cent of total program expenditure or 7½ per cent of Australian revenue into new Australian drama, documentary, children's and educational content. This must be a floor, not a ceiling. I've previously called for more investment—for up to 20 per cent of streamers' revenue to be the investment—which is aligned with international best practice and the needs of our industry.

I've discussed with the government where they landed and asked, in fact, for modelling to show whether or not this would result in an uplift in investment to the industry to preserve those 60,000 jobs. It's unclear, but it is felt that there is fluctuating spend from year to year. Some streamers are good players and do invest. Others are not investing at all, and so they will see an uplift in their spend. On balance I will accept the government and the department's briefing or indication that this should result in an increase in spend but also a balancing out of these fluctuations.

The government's proposal holds some warning that it may not be sufficient to address the scale of decline or rebuild the Australian screen sector, but I acknowledge this is a step forward. Currently, Australia risks becoming a backdrop for foreign projects, with little genuine Australian representation on our screens. This matters because we know that every dollar invested in the screen sector delivers around $3 to $4 in broader economic benefit, generating jobs, attracting international investment and bolstering the sector's credibility and capabilities. Not only does Australia's local screen production sector benefit directly from secure and guaranteed investment in Australian content; postproduction services, distributors and exhibitors do too. Other industries benefit indirectly with screen production such as tourism, hospitality, building, construction—so many areas. It's not just a cultural policy; it is a smart economic policy.

This bill is a significant step forward, but we need to make sure the obligation balances investment to sustain and build the industry while making sure streamers can continue to operate with regulatory certainty. We need to make sure there is balanced investment across all types of product.

The bill introduces investment requirements across Australian drama, documentary, children's and educational content, but there isn't a subquota or requirement across those different types. While this is necessary, the bill has not included subquotas around drama, documentary or children's content, to be more specific. There's no real guarantee of balanced investment across those different types—and we know it is necessary. Since quotas were removed from commercial TV, Australia's children content has almost evaporated. In the 2007-08 financial year, there was a total of 200 hours of children's content on Australian TV. In the 2023-24 financial year, that dropped to an all-time low of just 35 hours of children's TV content. The collapse is occurring despite the extraordinary global success of Australian programs like Bluey, a show that has become a cultural phenomenon, beloved worldwide, proving beyond doubt that Australian's children content is not only viable but exceptional. To address this, I'll be introducing an amendment that would reflect the intention of the bill that balances investment across all types and is expected. This would be an amendment to the objects, to ensure that that indication is clear.

Regulatory certainty is essential. While the bill provides a mandate for ACMA to determine how compliance would be achieved, this provides little reprieve for streamers who are trying to navigate this new obligation. It's not about resisting the obligations; it's about ensuring that industry has predictability, a stable operating environment and clarity on how compliance will be monitored, measured and enforced. To this end, last month I met with Netflix and the Australian and New Zealand Screen Association. I also met with Stan, which has shown strong leadership as an Australian owned platform. Stan has commissioned some of Australia's most distinctive local series and illustrates the importance of locally committed platforms. Both streamers stress the need for an effective obligation framework which requires stability, predictability and clarity around the requirements. It allows the broadcasting industry to plan ahead, commissioning pipelines and compliance systems with confidence. Any uncertainty around enforcement, definitions or reporting frameworks risks discouraging rather than encouraging investment. The government must ensure ACMA's regulatory approach is not only strong but also transparent, consistent and properly resourced.

We need to make sure Australian owned production companies are the beneficiaries of this. We must avoid a scenario where increased investment flows predominantly to foreign owned production companies operating in Australia at the expense of locally owned, independent Australian producers. To genuinely strengthen the Australian screen sector, policy and regulation must ensure that new investment supports the Australian businesses, creative talent and cultural perspectives that anchor our national storytelling. If implemented with care, foresight and proper oversight, this bill can be transformative, setting the new foundations for an ambitious, progressive and accountable future for Australian screen content.

We need clear, funded enforcement capability. ACMA must be resourced to enforce obligations and investigate ownership structures, including international corporations operating behind the corporate veil. There needs to be a reasonable transition period. Streamers have argued that the 60-day window to select revenue or expenditure obligations is too narrow and that the government should consider extending this. Of course, for them, there are also the questions around the definitions, the period of review and the fluctuating. I am absolutely sympathetic to their concern that there is a long pipeline of commissioning projects. For them, the fear is that this new obligation will change some of their forward planning.

We need accurate investment reporting. Streamers' expenditure must reflect net private investment only and not be inflated by federal or state funding through the producer and location offsets. This must be removed from the definition of 'expenditure'.

For new legislation like this, we need to make sure we have a robust review period to consider whether it's working or whether it has had unintended consequences. The government has proposed a robust four-year review to consider whether or not, by that time, we would need to be doubling the requirements for subquotas for children's and documentary content visibility and requirements for Australian titles and supporting Australian owned production companies. The point is, essentially, without being too specific in this round and on this legislation, in four years time, the government will look to see whether the things that we're warning of now have come to pass. That's why I would urge the government to consider the amendment that I will be moving to the objects to make sure that there is clarity on all streamers to comply with that need for diversity of investment. Supporting Australian owned production companies is important. We have to avoid a scenario where increased investment flows primarily to foreign owned companies operating in Australia behind corporate veils.

I welcome the government introducing this bill—the Australian screen industry cannot survive in its current form—but, let's be clear, it's well overdue. There is some complexity. There hasn't been broad consultation on where the bill has finally landed, and there are concerns from all involved as to how it's going to work in application—whether or not there is going to be sufficient certainty around the definitions of Australian content—and about some of the issues that I've touched on in terms of what will be included in that spend. Let's make sure this legislation marks the beginning of a more ambitious, progressive, accountable and optimistic future for Australian storytelling.

We know, if we go back to where this all started, the importance of safeguarding our culture and Australian stories on our screens. As more and more households turn to streamers for their content and their entertainment, we have to make sure there are good Australian stories being told. Streamers like Stan have been putting in great content—some of my favourite shows of recent years have been from there—but we have to make sure that all platforms are contributing to this incredible industry and make sure that we keep saving Australian stories.

Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What an exciting day for Australian storytelling. Today, we're talking about something Australians do better than anyone else—telling our own stories in our own voices and on our own screens. The Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025 is about celebrating who we are, what we value and how we see ourselves in the world. In 2025, we're not just watching television anymore; we're streaming on our phones, tablets, laptops and smart TVs. The way we watch has changed, but one thing hasn't: Australians still want to see Australian stories—stories that sound like us, look like us, make us laugh, make us think and make us proud. That's exactly what this bill does. It guarantees that, no matter what screen you watch, there will always be a place for Australian stories.

Under this bill, streaming services with more than a million Australian subscribers, like the big players of Netflix, Disney, Prime and others, will be required to invest at least 10 per cent of their total program spend, or 7.5 per cent of their revenue, into Australian stories—dramas, children's programs, documentaries, arts and educational content. This is about more homegrown productions that capture our humour, our heart, our contradictions and our community spirit. This is about more jobs for Australian crews, writers, actors, editors, camera operators and designers, and it means audiences everywhere, from Essendon to Alice Springs, can continue to see Australia on screen.

Our stories are important. When we see ourselves on screen, we understand each other better. We see the beauty and chaos of our country reflected back, and that creates connection. Let's be honest. Australian content isn't just about entertainment; it's identity. It's how we see ourselves, how we laugh at ourselves and how we introduce ourselves to the world. Take Blueyit's not just a show for kids; it's a love letter to modern Australian life. Every episode is packed with joy, honesty and imagination. It's backyard cricket, pretend play adventures and the pure chaos of trying to get everyone out the door before the bell rings. It's teaching children across the globe what 'Aussie' really means. Kids in Europe and the US now know exactly what a bin chicken is—that's soft-power diplomacy at its cutest.

Then there's Wentworth. Filmed in Melbourne, it took the humble prison drama and turned it into a global phenomenon. It's fierce, clever storytelling with women at the centre, and it's unapologetic, raw and real. It showed that Australian creatives don't just follow trends; they set them. When we invest in local content, we invest in stories that make the world sit up and pay attention. Heartbreak Highwhat a triumph! It's a vibrant, fearless portrait of young Australia as it really is: diverse, messy, funny, political and proud. It's proof that, when we give new voices the mic, they create stories that reach millions. It's not nostalgia driving its success; it's authenticity. It's young Australians claiming their space and shaping the culture of tomorrow.

Of course, there's The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, our sparkling, defiant gift to the world. That film rolled out of the desert in a cloud of dust and glitter, waving a feather boa and changing cinema forever. It premiered when being gay was still illegal in parts of this country, and our film industry's answer was not shame but three drag queens, a hot-pink bus and a whole lot of sequins tearing through the red dirt, saying, 'Get used to it, mate.'

Then there's The Castle. I couldn't give a speech on Aussie content without mentioning this icon. Filmed in my electorate of Maribyrnong, in the streets of Strathmore and Essendon, it's an ode to working-class Australia: family, fairness and fighting for what's right. The Kerrigans reminded us that home isn't about bricks and mortar; it's where belonging lives. It's the vibe, and it's so Aussie.

Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Straight to the pool room!

Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Straight to the pool room—that's right! These stories, from the playrooms to the prison yards and from the outback to the suburban backyard, are not small. They are Australia on full display: unpolished, heartfelt, hilarious and brave. They remind us why this legislation matters, because the world wants more of us. When we back Australian storytellers, we're funding not just art but identity, community and pride, the things that turn our country into a culture.

This bill delivers a key commitment from our national cultural policy, Revive. Revive is our road map for rebuilding and empowering Australian culture, because creativity isn't a side project; it's part of our national identity. It's about putting Australian stories front and centre again. It's about saying our voices matter just as much as the big Hollywood blockbusters, and it's about ensuring that our screen industry, one of the most dynamic and creative in the world, continues to grow, thrive and inspire.

This bill puts us back in charge of our cultural future. For decades, our free-to-air broadcasters have carried the Aussie flag, meeting content quotas and giving us generations of icons: the foxy ladies from Fountain Gate, the loveable chaos of the Proudmans and those unforgettable neighbours on Ramsay Street. Then streaming came along—shiny, global, irresistible—and our proud Aussie rules of storytelling didn't follow. Suddenly, Australians were watching more than ever, yet less of it was being made at home. This is exactly what this bill fixes. We're telling the streaming giants, 'If you're operating in Australia and cashing in on the Australian audiences, then it's your turn to create the next Aussie classic.' Fair's fair. This is about a level playing field. The same expectations that built our local screen legends should now apply to the platforms dominating every screen on every device.

Australia's screen industry is nothing short of extraordinary. We have actors, writers, directors and technicians whose talent lights up the world stage. From the Oscars to the Emmys, we've produced icons that have made the globe sit up and take notice. Think of Cate Blanchett commanding every room she enters, Sarah Snook dazzling in everything she touches and Nicole Kidman stealing every scene she's in. Think of Baz Luhrmann, George Miller, Warwick Thornton—geniuses who learnt their craft on our shores and then went off and showed the world how it's done. But let's not forget that behind every star is a constellation of hardworking Australians who make it happen: costume designers, lighting technicians, sound engineers, editors, producers, caterers and drivers. It's a thousand hands bringing magic to the screen.

When a film or story shoots in Melbourne, Sydney, on the Gold Coast or in the Northern Territory, it's more than arts. It's jobs. It's training. It's opportunity. In my electorate of Maribyrnong, you can feel it buzzing. Young film students across the river at Victoria University are learning the ropes. There are small creative collectives proving that talent, ingenuity and grit can thrive anywhere. When the Australian screen industry thrives, everyone benefits: local talent, small businesses and regional communities. It's not just a creative economy that we're building; it's a full circle Aussie powerhouse that turns ideas into careers, puts dreams onto screens and turns stories into national pride. From script to screen, this is how we back Australians to shine.

This reform is ambitious, but it's also practical. The investment requirement applies only to major streaming services with more than a million Australian subscribers. We're not putting unnecessary pressure on small or niche platforms. There's flexibility built in. Streaming companies can choose whether to invest based on expenditure or revenue, and they'll have a three-year carryover period to balance their spending. We'll review the system after four years to make sure it's working, making sure the investment is real, the content is high quality and the outcomes are strong for Australian audiences and creators alike. That's how Labor does reform—thoughtful, balanced and built to last.

This is far more than just television. It's about who we are as a nation. We're messy, brilliant, colourful and proudly diverse. When Australian stories are put on screen, we see ourselves reflected. We see our struggles, our triumphs, our humour, our accents and our landscapes. That reflection matters. It tells every kid growing up in Melbourne's north-west or in regional WA that their story, their voice, their life is worth watching and worth celebrating. Think of Rabbit-Proof Fence and Total Control. Each in its own way shines a light on the shadows of our history and the barriers that still linger today. Rabbit-Proof Fence brought the heartbreaking truth of the stolen generations to the world, while Total Control shows that the legacy of colonisation is still shaping modern Australian life, including our politics. These are stories that confront us, move us and remind us exactly why Australian storytelling matters. Narratives like these, the ones that make us laugh, cry or question, help us to understand each other. They challenge prejudice, celebrate diversity and elevate the voices that are often pushed to the margins. That is the power of culture—bold, honest, inclusive. That is exactly what this bill safeguards.

This bill isn't just about preserving what we've had; it's about inspiring what comes next. Imagine what the next decade of Australian storytelling could look like with this kind of support. Imagine the next Bluey, perhaps made by a young animator in Moonee Ponds. Imagine the next Red Dog, filmed in the red dirt of the outback. Imagine a new generation of Australian storytellers, actors and filmmakers who are given every opportunity to shine because their country backs their creativity. This bill gives them that chance.

This reform sits proudly within Labor's long legacy of backing Australian art and culture. From the establishment of the Australian Film Commission in the 1970s to the creation of Screen Australia and the revitalisation of our national culture institutions through Revive, Labor has always understood that our stories are part of our national strength. Just like Revive, this bill is a statement of confidence. It says that we are not just consumers of international content; we are the creators of it. We are a nation that makes things, that tells stories and that celebrates who we are.

This bill is about more than just fairness. It's an investment in the future and has fierce faith in Australian creativity. When we invest in our stories, we invest in ourselves—in the spark, the sass, the soul of this country—and we invest in the jobs, the skills and that unshakeable Aussie spirit that can turn a story about a girl and her wedding into cinema gold.

We make sure that, when our kids and grandkids sit down to stream something, they'll see a bit of home—a Hills hoist, a magpie swoop, a sausage sizzle or backyard cricket. They'll see who we are—bold, funny, complicated and beautiful—and they'll know they belong to a country that celebrates its own voices. It's not just one voice but many. From the world's oldest storytellers, our First Nations creators, to the countless cultures that now call Australia home, our stories weave together like a great big patchwork doona, stitched with grit, colour and heart. That's the real magic of Australia—every accent, every background and every yarn adding a new shade to our national story. They remind the world that Australia doesn't just watch culture; we create it. This bill says, loud and clear, our stories, our artists and our future are worth every frame. It's the vibe, and it's unmistakably, unapologetically Australian. I commend the bill to the House.

Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Wentworth is home to some of the most vibrant and dedicated people working in Australia's film and television sector, from production companies and screen writers to actors, directors, crew and many creatives who make the stories of Australia come alive. From iconic series like Kath& Kim or Rake to recent successes like Colin from Accountsa personal favourite—and Boy Swallows Universe, these stories matter. Our local screen industry is not just an economic contributor; it is a cultural treasure. These are the people who help us understand who we are and reflect our diversity, our history and our hopes for the future. These stories help create community, foster respect and build understanding. They spark connection around dinner tables, workplaces and waiting rooms.

Over the past decade, this sector has been worn down. It has endured years of neglect and underinvestment, compounded by COVID-19 and the growing dominance of global streaming services whose power far outweighs that of local creators. I've heard from constituents who have been forced to walk away from the industry they love—people whose skills, talent and livelihoods are at risk. When we lose those workers, we lose more than jobs; we lose storytellers, cultural custodians and the very voice of Australian creativity and Australian stories.

We know that streaming services are now where most people and most Australians find content, whether it be Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV or Prime. However, a large proportion of Australian screened content available on these services tends to be older content, with the commissioning of new Australian content by streaming services low by international standards. A 2023 Ampere Analysis report found that Australian content comprised just 8.8 per cent of Stan's catalogue, 5.0 per cent of Paramount+, 3.7 per cent of Binge, 4.1 per cent of Netflix, 3.6 per cent of Amazon Prime Video and only 0.2 per cent of Disney+. Screen Australia's 2023-24 report shows a 17.5 per cent drop in Australian titles on TV in just one year.

Without screen content quotas, our local industry is vulnerable. Streamers can choose to fill their slates with repeats and international reality TV that does not reflect our own. While these shows are entertaining, it's crucial that we see our lives reflected on screens. Our stories should be treasured, and, without enforcement, they are fading.

Australian content obligations for streaming services are something I've been advocating for since I was elected in 2022. I've worked extensively with Screen Producers Australia and with producers and production companies in my electorate who tell me how important this reform is. I want to highlight the incredible work of these advocates, especially Screen Producers Australia, in their tireless campaign to achieve quotas. I'm pleased to see the government finally introduce this legislation, and I commend them for taking this step. I will note—and I have been very frustrated—that it has been a long time coming, promised over three successive elections and again in the National Cultural Policy of January 2023.

While the regulatory design has required complex negotiations, the long period of uncertainty has had real and very negative consequences for the Australian film industry. Production companies have struggled to plan, and major streaming services have delayed commissioning decisions because they did not know if or when the obligations were coming, with renewals and new projects stalling as a direct result. However, I am encouraged by elements of this bill which have the capacity to make a significant impact.

The bill establishes Australia's first legislated requirement for major streaming services to invest in new Australian screen content, applying only to major platforms with more than one million subscribers, excluding specialist services. It defines what qualifies as an Australian program using existing content standard definitions. Programs must be newly commissioned with drama, documentary, factual or animated entertainment and under Australian control in development and production. The bill inserts new obligations into the Broadcasting Services Act, requiring eligible streamers to invest either 10 per cent of global program expenditure or 7.5 per cent of Australian sourced revenue in new Australian programs. Many in the sector, I will be honest, though, are disappointed, having advocated for a 20 per cent revenue model for over a decade. This model would deliver stronger investment without the capacity for services to manipulate their expenditure figures, which is of great concern to the industry. A compliance framework is also established in this legislation, with ACMA empowered to determine eligibility and publish reasons and decisions reviewable by the Administrative Review Tribunal and the Federal Court.

Finally, the bill includes a statutory review after four years. My hope is that by then we will have the data to make clearer, stronger decisions, including increasing these requirements if necessary. With an industry in crisis, I see the urgent need for this reform to be passed this year, with changes to be in effect from 1 January 2026. This is what the sector wants; therefore, I am looking to be not only constructive, as always, in my engagement on this bill, but also timely.

However, in my consultation with members of the Wentworth screen community, peak bodies and representatives across different parts of the sector, there are significant loopholes which could be rectified to strengthen the bill. First, and one of the most important ones, is weak guardrails around the expenditure model, because at the heart of this bill is an expenditure model that leaves too much to chance. We are asking ACMA to police complex financial structures used by some of the largest corporations in the world but without giving ACMA any extra resources. This is a recipe for problems discovered only after the damage has been done. The definition of 'qualifying expenditure' is so broad that streamers could sweep in costs with little connection to Australian content—internal IT allocations, corporate overheads, padding out numbers—and without creating a single Australian job or minute of Australian screen time. The requirement that costs fall under development, pre production, production or post production could be manipulated. We are relying on ACMA to scrutinise these costs with a fine-tooth comb, when we know and expect that services will work hard in some cases to minimise their obligations.

If we are serious about transparency we cannot rely on a post-hoc audit by a regulator already stretched across everything from social media to national security laws. Stakeholders have been very clear: without firm guardrails like the guidelines used by Screen Australia, this system will be easy to game and hard to fix. These guardrails may be included in regulations or published by ACMA once powers are granted but it is essential we monitor them closely and review any potential manipulation at the statutory review.

A second issue is also fundamental. Under this bill, streaming services can count taxpayer funded producer offsets as part of their Australian expenditure. That is not investment; that is substitution. Although these offsets are specifically designed to support independent producers, a growing trend, particularly with Netflix, is for the streamer to cash flow production on the condition that this government offset—the taxpayer funded offset—is handed to them.

Producer offsets exist to strengthen the independent sector, not to subsidise the multinational balance sheets of these streamers. When these offsets were first introduced, the minister for the arts said at the time, 'Its intention was that the independent sector should be beneficiaries of the producer rebate.' When a $10 million project ends up costing a streamer only $7 million yet they can count the full $10 million, the public carries the burden while the streamer claims the credit. I understand this was retained for consistency with free-to-air transmission quotas; however, no such trend is occurring in that sector, and, if it did, it too would need reform. This has been raised with me by different screen producers personally, talking about how this is a growing trend. Perhaps the government is not aware that increasingly streamers are saying 'Okay, we know how much producer offset you are going to get. We want that back to be able to fund this show.' This is of real concern because this is very, very substantial government backing of the Australian screen industry, which will be used to, effectively, subsidise the big companies whose content quotas we are trying to manage.

Thirdly, another gap is the absence of any requirement for Australian producers to retain their IP. Without their IP they lose the economic and cultural lifeblood of their work. A simple safeguard allowing streamers a 36-month licence period, after which rights revert to the Australian production company, would ensure Australian stories remain in Australian hands. It would prevent the erosion of Australian identity in the global digital market and avoid scenarios where beloved programs are reshaped for foreign audiences, for example by re-recording Bluey with American accents. We invest in Australian stories not because of their content but because of their culture.

And, fourthly, there is a lack of stipulated investment. Children's and documentary content continue to suffer from chronic underinvestment. While the bill sets an overall quota, it does not protect genres uniquely vulnerable in the market. Sub-reporting for genres would at least give us the data needed at a review to determine whether further action, including sub-quotas, is necessary.

Finally, there are quotas that simply legislate the status quo. This is the final challenge with this bill. We need to be honest about the numbers. The bill's proposed thresholds—10 per cent of expenditure or 7.5 per cent of revenue—sound ambitious, but the government's own explanatory memorandum tells a different story. It states that the total expenditure required of major streaming services would be between $175 million $200 million each year on Australian content, consistent with current expenditure for Australian adult drama, children's and documentary programs by SVODs, which is on average $193.4 million. In other words, by the government's own modelling, these quotas do not meaningfully increase investment. They simply legislate what the streamers are already spending. This bill risks locking in the status quo at a moment when the Australian screen sector desperately needs growth, ambition and renewal.

Legislating to prevent further reduction in investment is an excellent start, but these numbers are not good enough. If our goal is a thriving, world-class industry capable of telling Australian stories to Australian and global audiences, then we cannot congratulate ourselves for maintaining the current baseline. We do need settings that drive additional investment, nurture emerging creatives and build a sustainable pipeline of Australian content for the future. All of these loopholes lessen the positive impact that this legislation can have on our screen industry. This is why I've circulated three amendments which aim to fix some of these problems, which I will discuss more in the consideration in detail. These amendments are (1) excluding any producer offsets recouped by streaming services from qualifying expenditure; (2) settings terms of trade such that any agreements about an eligible program provide business and ancillary rights to the production company with primary licensing rights returning to said company after three years or after five years if the program has been renewed; and (3) mandating the reporting of sub-genres in required reporting to ACMA and the minister. I urge the government to consider these reasonable and fact based amendments, which respond to the challenges of the screen industry and the complexity of managing and regulating this industry.

In conclusion, this bill moves us in the right direction, but we cannot pretend it's enough. Our screen industry is too important, too vulnerable and too full of potential for us to settle for the status quo. Australian stories enrich our culture, strengthen our community and help us see ourselves on screen. The bill lays important groundwork, and I support it, but we should remain ambitious, and I wish I had seen a more ambitious bill. I look forward to working within this parliament and with my community to build for a stronger, fairer and more vibrant screen future that our nation deserves.

Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I was growing up, watching TV was a shared experience. We'd sit around the television with our TV trays full of food, and we'd catch up on the latest Australian television, whether that be McLeod's Daughters, Blue Heelers or The Secret Life of Us. After we'd go through that experience, we'd go to school or go to work the next day and we'd talk about that Australian television. It was a cultural experience that we had collectively.

That's not how TV works anymore because, nowadays, when we watch television, our faces are aglow with the light reflecting off a mobile phone screen. It's a very different experience. But the way that we watch TV shouldn't stop the presence and the persistence of Australian content. In recent years, it has become commonplace to ask your mates, 'What are you watching on Netflix?' Enthusiastic conversations follow, with people bonding over the shared enjoyment of a show, recounting late-night binge watches and noting recommendations of the next must-see series. You could substitute 'Netflix' in this question with Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO, Apple TV, Kayo Sports, Stan, Binge, Paramount+—and the list goes on and on.

Australians have taken to video subscription on demand with absolute gusto. Mediaweek cites figures that show that Australian households subscribe to an average of 3.7 streaming services. This is up over 60 per cent since 2021. In fact, in 2020 to 2021, Australians were for the first time more likely to watch an online subscription service than free-to-air television, whether that be live or recorded. The estimated earnings of streaming services in Australia in this period were over $2.4 billion. All these services give us myriad entertainment options on demand, an immense volume of content that is readily available at our fingertips—for the price of a subscription, of course. Streaming services offer programs from all over the world, but, as the national cultural policy stated, this risks drowning out the voices of Australian storytellers, and those voices are important. That's what this bill's all about.

As Professor Julianne Schultz wrote:

Some of the largest, richest, most concentrated companies in the world have built streaming repositories that make the grand libraries of the past look like a child's Lego building.

…   …   …

Netflix alone has more than 16,000 titles that "live practically in perpetuity, even as they are slowly entombed by new shows, new movies, new documentaries".

Professor Schultz not only has a great name; she has a point. That's just Netflix. Think about the thousands and thousands of hours of programs that exist on all the platforms I listed.

With this in mind, it is now more important than ever to protect and, indeed, to amplify our stories—Australian stories. With the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025, Australians will be guaranteed to see more Aussie content on their streaming services. These are the stories that deserve to be told. Not only that but these are the stories that are reflective of who we are, our culture and, fundamentally, who we as a country want to be. Not only are they reflective of that; they also have a practical and tangible outcome too, because they drive economic growth, they create important skills and they create jobs that we need for our country.

In January 2023, the Prime Minister launched Revive, a five-year plan to revitalise Australia's arts sector. Revive focuses on five main pillars which encompass putting First Nations front and centre, having a place for every story, celebrating the artists, building a robust cultural infrastructure and engaging the audience both at home and overseas. I want to talk a little bit more about pillar 2—a place for every story—because it puts into context what the heart of this bill is all about. To quote from Revive:

Australia's people and their stories are our greatest cultural asset. Stories communicate shared identities and a sense of belonging to place and each other, and can be shared through an artwork, narrative, dance, screen content, music or an idea.

Stories bring people together and enable the exchange of experiences, ideas and perspectives. Stories give us a voice. All Australians benefit when they are represented by and in the nation's stories and that they can hear their own voices resounding in the national narrative.

Our stories are shaped by histories, places, identities, languages, cultures, families and communities.

The importance of sharing and celebrating our Australian stories is absolutely clear. I think that is widely agreed upon. Indeed, there are rules regarding broadcasting Australian content on commercial television, and this is monitored by ACMA. The Broadcasting Services Act 1992 sets out the requirements. These are that 55 per cent of content must be Australian between 6 am and midnight on primary channels, and there must be 1,460 hours of Australian content between the same hours on non-primary channels. There are also requirements around first-release Australian program quotas.

Up until now, there have been absolutely no Australian content requirements for subscription video-on-demand or streaming services. This bill resolves that astounding problem. It's important that, while our viewing habits may be changing, our access to the stories that reflect who we are as a nation is unaffected. This bill means that, whether you're watching a show on commercial television or accessing a program via streaming, you will be able to watch Australian stories being told. It means that, whether you're picking up a channel changer, pressing a button on your phone or swiping, Australian stories can still be told no matter what the screen looks like.

To achieve this, the bill amends the Broadcasting Services Act and makes consequential changes to the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005. The changes apply to streaming services with one million or more subscribers. These services will be required to invest at least 10 per cent of their total program expenditure in new Australian commissions or first-release acquisitions of eligible programs. These programs include drama, documentary, arts, educational formats and children's content. Children's content is so important. It's something that we can't forget. In my home the children's content of choice is Bluey, but I must warn you the opening credits have been altered in my household. Mum, Dad and Bingo still get a guernsey, but Bluey's name is regularly replaced by Margaret's.

Importantly, this requirement covers the Australian portion of globally commissioned or licensed programs, ensuring that our creative sector benefits from international productions as well. The bill provides flexibility. Streaming providers may choose an alternative compliance option by investing an amount equivalent to 7.5 per cent of their gross Australian revenue. The bill adopts the definition of 'Australian content' from the Broadcasting Services (Australian Content and Children's Television) Standards 2020. These are the definitions which currently apply to free-to-air and subscription broadcasters.

These new requirements do not apply to services that primarily host user generated content, have no paying subscribers, rely solely on advertising, operate on one-off transactions or cater to niche audiences or special events. These exemptions ensure that the framework targets the major players in the market without imposing unnecessary burdens on smaller or specialised services.

This bill has been welcomed by Screen Producers Australia, who recognise that the legislation represents a very critical step toward restoring confidence in the Australian screen sector and lays the groundwork for a more substantial future for production. Screen Producers Australia view the Australian content requirements as far more than regulations. They see them as the cornerstone of Australia's screen industry, noting that, as a relatively small English-speaking nation operating within a global market dominated by larger players, Australia faces a unique challenge. And this bill is designed to help our industry with it.

Without the content quota safeguards, Australian stories would struggle to be financed and would struggle to be produced. Audiences would lose the opportunity to see and hear their own voices, Australian voices, and Australian values and Australian experiences reflected up there on the screen. Screen Producers Australia insists that, to ensure these stories are told, a clear cultural mandate from government is absolutely essential, and this is what the bill provides. The Australian Writers' Guild also backed this bill in, with the president and Logie-Award-winning showrunner Peter Mattessi saying:

World events move fast and impact our industry in many different ways. Meanwhile, streaming platforms are taking billions of dollars out of the country in subscription fees from Australians—Australians who tell us over and over again that they want to see more Australian content on their screens.

The legislation also reinforces the principle that Australian content is vital, while providing certainty for creators, producers and investors alike.

The Australian screen industry is a significant contributor to the national economy. It's a vital source of employment for Australians. In 2025 the market is projected to reach approximately $3.3 billion, underscoring its scale and its influence within the creative sector. In the 2023-24 financial year alone, total expenditure on screen production reached $1.7 billion. Beyond production budgets, the sector supports a vast ecosystem of over 10,000 businesses. Many of those are small businesses, ranging from production companies to post-production facilities to technology providers and creative service firms. This network has grown steadily over the past five years, creating thousands and thousands of jobs for writers, directors, actors, technicians and other skilled professionals. The economic ripple effect extends far beyond the screen itself, stimulating tourism, regional development and innovation in important digital technologies. In short, the screen industry is not only a cultural powerhouse but also a critical driver of economic growth and employment in this country.

This bill is about so very much more than regulation. It is about safeguarding our cultural identity and supporting the many thousands of Australians who work in our screen industry by ensuring that streaming platforms invest in Australian stories. We are investing in and reflecting our people and creativity and our economy. And that's what this bill aims to do. By strengthening local content rules, we are not only protecting the jobs and fostering innovation within that creative sector. We are also investing in the social and cultural fabric of the nation. We are investing in us. We are investing in our families. We are investing in our neighbours, in our mums, in our dads and in our workmates, along with their very important stories. This is why the introduction of this legislation is both significant and deeply welcome. It is a decisive move towards a future where Australian voices remain strong, where Australian voices remain diverse and where Australian voices are visible in an ever-changing media landscape. It signals a renewed commitment to ensuring our stories are told.

Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They say the culture you grow up with, in your childhood and teenage years, will always be the culture that speaks to you. I was lucky enough to be a child and teenager in the late seventies and early eighties. This was an era when the rest of the world discovered Australian culture. It was an era of fantastic Australian bands, and it was an era that spawned so many iconic Australian movies and TV shows. There was Picnic at Hanging Rock. Who can forget Miranda? There was Mad Max, the franchise that launched Mel Gibson—sorry! There was Breaker Morant, We of the Never Never, Dogs in Space, Crocodile Dundee'That's not a knife!'—Puberty Blues, The Lighthorsemen and Gallipoli. And on TV there were the soapies. There was Neighbours. Everyone stayed home for Scott and Charlene's wedding. There was Molly's death on A Country Practice. There was Home and Away, The Young Doctors, Prisoner, The Big Gig, The Comedy Company and The D Generation.

Australian producers, writers and artists were churning out high-quality television and movie content showcasing Australian stories, Australian humour and Australian culture. They gave jobs to Australians: writers, actors, directors, producers, camera operators, costume designers, set designers and so many more. Also, importantly, we were seeing Australian stories and Australian actors on screen and hearing Australian accents.

There had been a bit of cultural cringe prior to this era. We tended to import our culture, in particular from England and increasingly from America. Then suddenly we, the Australian industry, were kicking goals around the world. Our stories and our actors were not only on our screens; they were being exported to the world, and suddenly people in New York and London were watching our stories. We should never underestimate how important it is for Australians to see themselves on screen. It helps us to better understand ourselves, our neighbours and our community, and it allows the world to see us and understand us a little better.

Australian stories play an important role in shaping Australia's national identity, fostering social inclusion and encouraging cultural expression. Humans are hardwired to understand the world through stories. They are our greatest cultural asset. They build a sense of community, identity, collective wellbeing and shared identity. They reflect and define who we are as a nation and make us recognisable on the international stage. Australian stories help make sense of our past, define ourselves in the present and promote Australia—our people, our creativity and our country—to the world. They bring us together with shared understandings and enable the exchange of experiences, ideas and perspectives. All Australians benefit when we are represented by and can hear our voices in the stories brought to the big and small screens. It makes us proud of who we are.

But the way we consume media has very much changed since the 1980s. Major structural changes in the way media is provided to us has meant audience viewing habits have changed. Australian audiences, like audiences around the world, are increasingly engaging with content across multiple platforms. Public broadcasters, commercial broadcasters, cable and streaming are all part of Australia's television landscape now and will be into the future. We are less likely to watch free-to-air television and live broadcasts. We are less likely to go to the movies in a cinema. We are more likely to be watching on-demand streaming services.

And the shows we are being offered have changed as well. They are more likely to be relatively cheap-to-make reality TV shows or programs imported from overseas, known as global content, because it's cheaper to buy up the international rights and show the same programs around the world wherever the streaming service has a presence. It's cultural colonialism, where we are all absorbing the same stories and the same standards, becoming homogenous with the cultures of the sending countries, and this undermines the special uniqueness that is Australia and Australian society in all its many forms.

In 2023, this government released the national cultural policy, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place. It was the first national cultural policy in a decade. As one of the five pillars of this policy, the Australian government committed to introduce requirements for Australian screen content on streaming services to ensure continued access to local stories and content. Today the Albanese Labor government is legislating for streaming services and subscription services to have guaranteed Australian content.

Public broadcasters already have this requirement. The ABC charter includes the requirement for the ABC to broadcast programs that contribute to Australia's sense of national identity, that inform and entertain and that reflect the cultural diversity of the community. The SBS charter states that the SBS's principal function is 'to provide multilingual and multicultural broadcasting and digital media services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect Australia's multicultural society'.

Australian commercial television stations had their first content quotas for commercial television introduced in the 1960s to ensure that Australians had access to stories and to see their culture, language and values reflected on the screen. These local content requirements were updated in the 1990s to apply to free-to-air and other subscription television broadcasters, requiring broadcasters to commission a minimum level of Australian content every year. This is based on either hours, in the case of free-to-air commercial television broadcasters, or, in the case of other subscription broadcasters, a percentage of their total drama expenditure in Australia. These requirements stabilise the market and act as a safeguard for the Australian screen production sector.

But, unlike free-to-air broadcasting services and other subscription television services, streaming services currently have no requirements to make Australian content available on their platforms. The ready availability of cheap content produced in other countries risks drowning out Australian stories. Without government intervention, there is no guarantee that streaming services will produce Australian content and make it available to Australian consumers. There are streaming services operating here in Australia that currently have zero Australian content. Without Australian stories, Australian voices and Australian content, our country will be poorer, our society will be poorer and, certainly, our creative industries will be poorer.

The Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025 amends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 and subordinate legislation to allow for an Australian screen content requirement on subscription video-on-demand streaming services. It will mandate that streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers invest at least 10 per cent of their total program expenditure for Australia on eligible program formats in Australia and on new Australian programs. Eligible program formats are drama, children's programs, documentary, arts and educational programs.

The requirement uses the definition of Australian content which is set out in the Broadcasting Services (Australian Content and Children's Television) Standards 2020. This is the definition that is already used for commercial free-to-air and other subscription television broadcasters, and it's therefore the appropriate, consistent definition. The requirement also includes a voluntary option for streaming services to acquit their requirements based on a calculation of 7½ per cent of their Australian revenue. Streaming services can acquit their obligation over a three-year period. This principle was put strongly to the government by the streaming services during the extensive consultation and reflects the lumpy nature of investment cycles in high-quality programs. There will also be a statutory review conducted four years after the commencement to make sure the requirement is operating effectively. This obligation will give vital support to our domestic screen sector and arts workers by ensuring quality local stories. The proposed requirement we are debating today is consistent with Australia's international trade obligations. Streaming services covered by the new requirements will report to ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which will administer the Australian screen content requirement.

The Australian government committed to ensuring Australians have access to local stories wherever they choose to watch their screen content, and this bill fulfils that commitment. Since their introduction in Australia, streaming services have created some extraordinary shows. In the last few years, many of them have produced great Australian content. A minority, however, are yet to produce any. This legislation is not a criticism of the streaming businesses in Australia; it's an endorsement of Australian stories, a celebration of Australian creatives and a show of respect for the Australian audience. This bill will guarantee Australians will have access to Australian stories now and into the future. It will ensure that, no matter what remote you're holding, Australian stories will be at your fingertips. Australians will see themselves and know each other, and the world will meet us. I commend the bill to the House.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The legislation before the chamber, the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025, presents an opportunity to open a new chapter for Australia's screen industry. This is the moment when we can ensure that, in the streaming age, Australian stories do not fade into the background but take their rightful place in the spotlight, centre stage.

This legislation requires streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers to invest at least 10 per cent of their expenditure or 7.5 per cent of their revenue into the Australian sector. It will need to be invested in new local drama, children's programs, documentaries, arts or educational content. There are two clear principles at stake here. One is that Australians deserve access to their own stories, no matter which screen they're watching on. The other is that those who profit from access to Australian audiences should support Australian storytelling.

The idea of guaranteeing Australian content is not a new or radical idea. In 1942, the Curtin Labor government introduced quotas for Australian music on commercial radio stations to support local musicians and foster a distinctive cultural identity. The Whitlam Labor government built on that reform, raising the requirement to around 20 per cent. That change provided crucial support for Australian music during the golden age of Australian rock and pop in the seventies and through to the eighties.

The Menzies government introduced Australian content requirements for commercial television in 1961, and the Whitlam government strengthened them in 1973. Those changes ushered in a renaissance of Australian screen content, which my generation got to see, bringing productions like Number 96, The Sullivans, A Country Practicefilmed locally, largely in the Hawkesbury—and Prisoner to Australian audiences.

When pay TV services launched in the 1990s, they were initially exempt from content obligations until the Keating government acted in 1995 to require providers to invest at least 10 per cent of their expenditure in Australian drama. This simple measure ensured that pay TV would meaningfully contribute to Australian drama, and it has. As a result, Australian viewers have enjoyed acclaimed series such as Love My Way, Wentworth and Cloudstreet.

Radio and broadcast television reach their audience through publicly regulated airwaves. Pay TV providers operate through cable networks that, in many cases, were built with public investment. It's reasonable to expect that, in profiting from these assets, media companies deliver a measurable public benefit in return. Since the Rudd and Gillard governments began the build of the National Broadband Network, streaming platforms have had unprecedented access to Australian audiences. Without the NBN, it simply would not be possible to operate large-scale, reliable streaming platforms in Australia. Yet—unlike radio and broadcast and pay TV—global streaming platforms have until now had no specific obligation to invest in Australian content—no obligation whatsoever. That discrepancy has real consequences.

We know the way Australians consume screen content is changing rapidly and fundamentally. In 2017, just 29 per cent of Australians used paid subscription streaming services. By 2024, that number had risen to 69 per cent, and 2021 was a watershed year, marking the point when Australians were more likely to watch content through an online subscription service rather than live or recorded free-to-air TV. According to some sources the average household now has more than three streaming subscriptions. Global streaming platforms are rapidly becoming an essential element of our cultural infrastructure. It's vital that this technology be deployed in a way that supports local cultural expression rather than accelerates the globalisation and homogenisation of culture. Time and again we've seen that, without clear rules and well-calibrated regulation, local content is vulnerable not because audiences don't value it—they do, profoundly—but because global market forces won't prioritise it if they're not required to. It's for precisely these reasons that France, Italy, Spain and Canada have all introduced local content obligations. Indeed, all EU member states require streaming platforms to ensure that at least 30 per cent of their catalogue consists of European works. So Australia is not an outlier here; we're just catching up to where we should have been some time ago.

Streaming platforms can and do produce fantastic Australian content. This reform is about guaranteeing that this will continue in the decades ahead. If streaming platforms are where Australian audiences are watching—and, increasingly, they will be—Australian stories must be there too. It's the responsibility of government to guarantee that access, and that's exactly what this legislation will do. By passing this law, the House will send a clear signal that providing Australian content is not a voluntary contribution but a fundamental obligation.

The legislation creates a regulatory framework fit for the digital age. It upholds the rights of Australians to see stories that reflect our shared identity while ensuring our screen industry isn't just viable but thriving. It affirms our commitment to forging a cultural identity that's made here, not imported by default. Labor has taken this policy to multiple elections, and our commitment was reiterated in our National Cultural Policy—Revive, which voiced the aspiration that Australian stories are seen and heard regardless of platform and that our creative industries and practice are future focused, technology enabled, networked and globally recognised. This change has been talked about for many years. The government has consulted on it extensively. We've listened to feedback and adjusted the policy accordingly. The time has come to deliver.

This reform is well and truly due because it's not just the future of Australian storytelling that is at stake; it's Australian jobs. When streaming services invest in local productions, the benefits ripple outwards through the entire economy. Screen productions create valuable work not just for writers, actors and directors but for the crews and businesses who make it possible. These are real, meaningful, skilled jobs like camera operators, set builders, hair and makeup artists, costume designers, location scouts, caterers, editors, postproduction specialists, visual effects artists, accountants, drivers and so many others whose livelihoods depend on a strong and steady production environment.

The screen sector industry directly engages a workforce of around 55,000 people and contributes more than $6 billion in value to the Australian economy. With a guaranteed minimum investment in our domestic screen industry, local producers will have the certainty they need to make long-term plans and invest in the next generation of creative and technical talent. This system will help ensure that those workers have a future in their own country, and it will help prevent the loss of creative Australians to more supportive environments overseas that robbed our country of so much great talent in earlier decades.

We know that no model will satisfy everyone. When balancing cultural and commercial imperatives, it's impossible to achieve 100 per cent consensus. Some may have preferred a different figure for the investment obligation. To them, I say this 10 per cent expenditure requirement is a floor, not a ceiling. Let's be clear: what matters most is the cultural outcome, not the number itself. The legislation mandates a statutory review after four years. If the data shows the scheme has fallen short, the policy settings can be revisited. This mechanism ensures that if changes are needed they can be made, and that when the industry grows the policy can grow with it.

Others will argue that obligations are unnecessary, that streaming platforms are already doing their fair share. To them, I say this system does not impose an undue burden but it does remove uncertainty. It's a modest, predictable requirement that ensures that local content continues to be available to Australian audiences and that jobs in the creative sector are supported. If this system were already in place, the vast majority of platforms would already be meeting their obligations. If streaming platforms want to invest more, and several already do, this framework doesn't stand in their way.

Streaming platforms are already producing fantastic local content across a range of genres, with productions like Apple Cider Vinegar, Boy Swallows Universe, Heartbreak High, Totally Completely Fine, Deadloch, Colin from Accounts and Bump. This legislation will ensure that the production of great content like this continues well into the future. Our government wants to work in partnership with the streaming platforms active in the Australian market. That's why we're putting forward a system that is practical and flexible. Our system will allow streamers who've invested more than 10 per cent in one year to carry that surplus forward as a credit for a period of up to three years. It recognises that production doesn't always fit into a neat 12-month window.

The system allows platforms to choose which stories they want to tell and to meet their requirement through any mix of drama, documentary, children's, educational or arts content. They are the genres where the cultural imperatives are most at stake. They are the genres where the risk of market failure is greatest, so they are the ones that our system is most focused on. It will allow them to meet the obligation either through 10 per cent of expenditure or 7.5 per cent of revenue—whichever best aligns with their business model. The revenue approach may be particularly attractive to new entrants to the industry, which will help ensure that we have a diverse and dynamic streaming market in future years. And this system will give streamers the freedom to fulfil the requirement through one major production or several smaller ones if they wish.

This reform has been almost two decades in the making. But, as Special Envoy for the Arts, I know how intensely we have worked on this over the last few years. I want to thank every industry representative who has contributed to the extensive consultation process that has shaped this legislation—some of whom have held many meetings with me and my team.

To Screen Producers Australia, whose Make It Australian campaign has kept this issue on the political agenda for years: thank you. You and your members have made a huge contribution.

To the Australian Writers Guild, the Australian Directors Guild, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and the hardworking advocates of the children's content sector: your passion and persistence have ensured that storytellers remain at the centre of this debate.

To the streaming platforms: thank you for your constructive engagement and for your willingness to meet, discuss and collaborate, and to meet again to discuss and collaborate. It is crucial to a sustainable and vibrant screen ecosystem. The government looks forward to working closely with you as the system is introduced.

To the opposition and crossbench members who voiced their support for this important reform: thank you for backing Australia's creatives.

I'd like to particularly acknowledge our Labor ministers for arts and communications, past and present, who've demonstrated so much commitment to Australian creativity and invested so much hard work in designing a system that is flexible, fair and fit for purpose.

This legislation will not fix every challenge that faces the screen industry. It will not deliver perfection, but it will deliver certainty and confidence. It will deliver investment, it will deliver opportunity for creative workers, and it will deliver Australian stories to Australian audiences. I'm confident that a decade from now we'll look back and say: 'That was the moment Australia stood up for our cultural sovereignty. It was when we said that our stories matter, our creative talent matters, and our screen sector deserves a strong future.'

Ultimately, this legislation is not about regulation. It's about identity. It's about the future of Australian stories and who gets to tell them. It's about whether our kids will grow up seeing their experiences on the screen, hearing voices that sound like theirs and recognising the landscapes. It's about telling every Australian that their stories matter and deserve to be seen, heard, celebrated and shared with the world. Our culture deserves to be nourished by content that reflects who we are, not who someone overseas thinks we ought to be. Every time we share a new Australian story on screen, we strengthen our sense of who we are.

With this reform, a strong screen industry and our extraordinary creative talent will remind the world that Australia is a nation with something to say and the confidence to— (Time expired)

Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I start, I would like to acknowledge the previous speaker, the member for Macquarie, for that very fine contribution to the House. As a special envoy, I know she carries out her duty with great passion and care. She should be commended for the work that she does. Thank you.

I stand today to speak in strong support of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025—a bill that ensures that, no matter where they live, where they stream or what device they watch it on, Australians will always be able to see a bit of themselves on screen. Whether you're 'home and away' or just popping in to see your 'neighbours', this bill guarantees that Australian stories remain on Australian screens. It's about making sure our voices, our humour, our landscapes and the real Australian accents don't get lost in the noise of global content. We're not just a country that consumes stories; we are creators of them.

This bill delivers on a core commitment in our national cultural policy, Revive, ensuring that streaming services invest in Australian content so that our screen industry, our creatives and our communities all share in the benefits. As someone from Adelaide's north, I know what opportunity looks like when it's backed by government and action. The same way we've supported manufacturing, defence and apprenticeships, this bill supports the next generation of storytellers, filmmakers, editors and animators. The communications legislation amendment bill makes one simple promise—if you're making money from Australian audiences, you should be investing in Australian stories. It's pretty simple.

Under this legislation, major streaming platforms with over a million Australian subscribers, like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and others, will need invest a minimum of 10 per cent of their total Australian program expenditure on new local drama, documentary, children's, arts or educational content. Alternatively, they can contribute 7½ per cent of their Australian revenue to meet the same goal. It's simple, it's fair, and it's long overdue. For too long, we've been told that streaming services are different, that they exist outside of the rules that apply to free-to-air and pay television. But, when you're charging Australians for subscriptions, when you're part of our entertainment diet, when our shows dominate the cultural conversation, you have responsibilities too—responsibilities to invest locally, to tell Australian stories and to hire Australian talent.

When Australians turn on their screens, they should see their stories reflected back, whether it's a gritty true crime story, an animated family of dogs teaching us all life lessons or a surf lifesaver in Summer Bay, because those moments of recognition matter. They make us laugh, they make us proud, and, sometimes, they even make us cry. This bill ensures those moments don't vanish into the algorithm. It brings streaming platforms into the same fair framework that already applies to broadcasters. If you ask me, that's just common sense. As Kath Day-Knight might put it: 'It's noice. It's different. It's unusual.'

We're a creative nation. We've given the world The Castle; Picnic at Hanging Rock; The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Mad Max; Muriel's Wedding; Crocodile Dundee; Red Dog; The Dry; and Bluey. Each one is a reminder that our stories, when told authentically, have a power that resonates globally. But they also start small, in communities like mine in the north, with local filmmakers and creative graduates taking their first steps. For every Oscar-winning performance by Nicole Kidman or Cate Blanchett, there's a local production assistant working on their first short film at Elizabeth TAFE. As this bill reminds us, if we want our next generation of storytellers to thrive, we have to make space for them to start.

When it comes to the north, we have our fair share of creatives leading the way, like award-winning director Justin Kurzel, who brought the haunting story of Snowtown to the world and, just a few years later, reimagined Macbeth as a striking historical epic. His success reminds us that talent from our suburbs can capture the world's attention and that the next generation of filmmakers in Australia can turn local stories into international cinema. That's what this bill delivers—guaranteed access for Australian audiences to Australian content and guaranteed investment into the local industry. Revive, the national cultural policy, was built around the one simple belief that our people and their stories are our greatest cultural asset. This bill turns that belief into law. It makes sure that Australian stories don't just survive; they thrive. Frankly, if we can binge-watch three seasons of The Office in a weekend, we can certainly make room for Utopia or Rosehaven.

This legislation doesn't just talk about culture; it delivers for the economy. The Australian screen industry already supports more than 50,000 jobs. Every film, every series and every documentary made here creates work for actors, sound engineers, set builders, caterers, drivers and designers. The benefits ripple through local economies, and that's true for Adelaide's north too. Our communities and our TAFE campuses provide the pathways for the next generation of storytelling. This bill helps solidify that pathway. It's a jobs and justice policy for the creative sector, ensuring that, when global giants profit here, Australian workers share in the dividends. It's fair, because the same principle applies across our economy—if you make money in Australia, you invest it back into Australia. That's the foundation of the Future Made in Australia agenda, and it's just as relevant to culture as it is to critical minerals or clean energy.

We've all had that experience of opening a streaming app, ready to relax after a long day, and being flooded with options that are anything but local—endless lists of shows about New York lawyers or London detectives or maybe even a Nordic noir crime thriller. Sometimes you just want to see someone in the suburbs and landmarks you know, like Kath Knight telling off Kel for wearing a Sydney Swans scarf or Ray Shoesmith trying to balance a life of crime with trying to be a good dad. This bill generates that balance, ensuring that, no matter how global the content landscapes become, there will always be room for stories grounded in the Australian experience. It ensures that, when the next Underbelly, Offspring or SeaChange comes along, there's space and funding for it to be made.

It also helps ensure that shows like Bluey, which is now our most iconic export since Vegemite or the Tim Tam, have a future. Bluey didn't come out of nowhere; it was born from years of sustained investment in children's content. If we lose those frameworks, we lose the foundation for the next generation of Australian success stories. And, as any parent will you, if we lose Bluey, bedtime negotiations across the country will collapse overnight. Yes, this bill is partly about national security—the security of parents' sanity—but it's also about identity, belonging and opportunity. It says to every kid watching TV in Gawler, Salisbury or Elizabeth: 'Your world matters. Your story matters. You belong here.' That's powerful.

The bill also supports documentary production—a genre where Australia punches well above its weight. Our documentaries tackle big issues, from The Australian Dream to Working Class Boy, Back Roads and Australia in Colour. These are stories that educate, challenge and inspire. They capture who we are, where we've been and where we're going. This bill ensures that that kind of storytelling has a sustainable future too. Importantly, the legislation has a built-in flexibility. It includes a three-year carry-over period for investment, giving streaming services the time to plan major projects. It also mandates a statutory review for four years after commencement, ensuring it continues to meet its goals effectively.

There are sensible exemptions, too. This isn't about hobbyists uploading to YouTube or niche services streaming wedding videos; it applies to the big players—the ones with serious market presence and serious profits. That's why it is fair, proportionate and enforceable. Civil penalties apply for breaches because we're serious about this.

That's what we do as the Labor Party; we protect and solidify the arts. We recognise that a nation's creativity is not a luxury; it's a foundation—one that fuels innovation, identity and pride. We back the painters, the playwrights, the performers and the producers because we know that, when Australian art thrives, Australia thrives. We do it not for applause or accolades but because storytelling in every form is how we strengthen the social fabric that binds us together.

This bill also protects innovation. By ensuring a steady flow of investment into local production, it encourages creative risk taking—the kind that leads to new voices, new genres and new success stories. We know from experience that, when Australians tell their stories, the world listens. The Dry brought the Mallee to the big screen. Lion told of a story that spanned continents. The Twelve showed that Aussie courtroom drama can rival anything out of Hollywood. This is the pipeline we're protecting, and we do it not because we fear global content but because we value local creativity.

It's also about balance—cultural and economic. In recent years, global streaming services have spent billions worldwide on content but only a fraction of that in Australia. This bill fixes that imbalance. It ensures that Australian subscribers aren't just paying for foreign content; they're helping fund Australian production too. That's not protectionism; that's participation. It's saying, 'If you're part of our cultural ecosystem, you play by the same rules as everyone else.' I'd argue that that's as fair as splitting the bill at the pub—everyone chips in for their fair share.

We should also recognise how this legislation supports regional Australia. More and more productions are being filmed outside capital cities, and that's good news for places like the Barossa, the Riverland and Adelaide's north. When crews roll into town, they book local hotels, hire local transport and eat at local cafes. The economic multiplier is real, and every dollar spent on screen production benefits the broader community. That's why this bill matters not just to Sydney or Melbourne but to every region that wants to be part of Australia's storytelling future.

In a world of deepfakes, AI generated voices and synthetic scripts, authenticity matters more than ever. You can train an algorithm to mimic a voice, but you can't code an Aussie sense of humour. You can't fake the heart of The Sullivans or the warmth of McLeod's Daughters. You can't replicate the chaos of Rake or the absurd brilliance of Utopia. Those shows work because they're grounded in who we are. This bill ensures that that identity endures and evolves in the digital age.

I also want to acknowledge the arts workers who have been calling for this reform for years: writers, producers, directors, editors and crews—people who love this country enough to tell its stories. They've waited long enough for fair treatment. This government listened, and we're delivering. The previous government spent a decade talking about creative industries without giving them the creative certainty they needed, but we're changing that. We're turning commitment into legislation, and we're doing it because we believe that storytelling is nation building. It shapes how we see ourselves and how the world sees us.

For me, this bill also speaks to fairness—something Australians instinctively understand. If a teacher in Elizabeth pays taxes, if a nurse in Gawler contributes to super and if a tradie in Munno Para follows the rules, why should multibillion-dollar streaming companies be the exception? Everyone should do their bit. That's what fairness looks like, and fairness is what this bill delivers.

Whether you're watching Heartbreak High or Hey Hey It's Saturday, Gladiators or Glitch, you'll know that what's on your screen is part of something bigger—a fair go for Australian stories. Maybe that's the real takeaway here—that our screens aren't just entertainment; they're mirrors. They show us who we are, where we've been and what we can become. Whether you're watching from a lounge in Virginia, a kitchen in Truro or a shed in Angle Vale, you'll always have access to stories that sound like home. That's what this bill guarantees. As The Castle taught us, when you stand up for what's right, 'it's the vibe'—it's the vibe of fairness, creativity and community. It's the vibe of Australia. For that reason, I proudly commend the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025 to the House.

Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I was in my early 20s, I was renting in Sydney, working hard and loving my life and my friends. Once a week I sat down with my boyfriend and we watched The Secret Life of Us on TV. I loved it. I felt like Claudia Karvan and Samuel Johnson could easily have been my friends. They sounded like my friends, lived similar lives and dealt with similar issues. We looked forward to Monday nights and chatted about it at work. It became part of the language and culture I shared with my friends and it brought us together.

Later, as a parent of young kids, turning on Justine Clarke and Jay Laga'aia on Play School provided the window I needed to get a load of washing out, tidy up or lie exhausted next to my toddlers for a moment. I didn't want my kids to learn to talk with an American accent; I wanted them to understand, embrace and share our unique Australian culture. Although my kids were too old for Bluey, I've watched it with my nieces and nephews and seen the same thing in today's toddlers. Bluey shows the best of us, reflecting our culture and values in a way that reminds not just kids but also adults who we are. Only a few years ago I loved watching Tim Minchin's Upright, a road trip across Australia that ended with a homecoming to Cottesloe, in my electorate of Curtin. The trees, the architecture and the vibe bring these stories into our lives and make them real to us.

As our TV viewing patterns have changed, with far more choice, global content and streaming services, our cultural references are becoming more fragmented. We have fewer of these common cultural touchpoints, these collective Australian experiences that bring us together. Some of this is inevitable and positively reflects that we now accept a much broader range of ways to be Australian, and we have endless global choices available to us. But it also comes at a cultural cost, and this cost is not inevitable. TV stations are required to include some Australian content, which is how we get to hear more of our stories. But, until now, streaming platforms have not had this requirement, and this bill, the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025, fixes that.

This bill is a significant and long-awaited reform. It's a milestone for Australia's cultural life. I commend the government, and Ministers Burke and Wells in particular, for delivering the decisive action that Australia's screen sector has needed for far too long.

The bill introduces for the first time a clear and enforceable Australian content requirement for the major streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video—the services that now dominate how Australians watch television. If a streaming service has at least one million paying subscribers in Australia, it will be required to spend more on new eligible Australian programs—either 10 per cent of its total program expenditure for Australia or 7.5 per cent of its Australian revenue. These eligible programs include the backbone of Australian storytelling—drama, children's content, documentaries, arts and educational programs. Streamers can equip their obligations over a three-year cycle, recognising the lumpy, project based nature of screen investments, and they must report annually to ACMA. Crucially, the bill brings streaming services into line with the free-to-air and subscription broadcasters who have carried these obligations for decades. In short, the bill guarantees that no matter which remote control Australians pick up, Australian stories will remain at their fingertips.

This reform is not just a technical fix; it's a cultural safeguard and a cultural opportunity. For decades, Australia's local content rules have ensured we can hear our own voices and see our own communities, histories and quirks reflected on screen. But audience habits have changed dramatically. More and more Australians watch content through streaming platforms, and those platforms have had no requirement to invest in Australian stories. This gap has left our screen sector increasingly vulnerable. Production has slumped, local commissions have declined and a highly-skilled workforce—actors, directors, writers, crew, editors, musicians and creatives—has faced deep uncertainty.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance described today's reforms as 'a vital lifeline'. They stressed that the new content requirements will deliver safe and secure employment opportunities and offer real hope to thousands of creative workers who rely on a stable and sustainable production sector. Screen Producers Australia called this 'a landmark day', the result of more than a decade of advocacy built on the simple principle that Australian stories deserve a guaranteed space in our media landscape. As SPA put it, without clear local content rules, the ready availability of imported content risks drowning out our own voice.

Of course, this is about audiences too. Australians want Australian stories. They want stories that reflect our identity, humour, complexity and diversity. They want programs that understand our communities because they come from our communities. This bill honours that.

There are some small improvements that could be made to this bill. I'll be supporting the amendment proposed by the member for Wentworth to exclude the amount of the producer offset from qualifying expenditure in order to prevent international streaming services from artificially reducing their Australian expenditure. That amendment would also ensure that Australian companies, rather than international companies, retain important intellectual property rights over the new Australian programs. It requires that the streaming services report on the subgenres of their new Australian programs to promote broader assessment and monitoring and to help key sectors of the screen industry, like children's programming and documentary production. I urge the government to seriously consider this amendment.

To conclude, this is good, thoughtful, balanced legislation. It recognises that Australian stories are not just entertainment; they are part of the fabric of who we are. They help us understand ourselves and each other and they allow the world to understand us. The government have listened to extensive consultation and years of advocacy and acted, and I commend them for that. I strongly support the bill and the amendment being introduced by the member for Wentworth. I look forward to seeing it strengthen our culture, creative industries and national identity for years to come.

David Moncrieff (Hughes, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians have changed the way they consume their media. There's been a significant decline in the number of people who watch live broadcast television free to air. The year 2024 marked a key milestone in Australia's viewing habits, with fewer than half of Australians watching live free-to-air TV for the first time at only 46 per cent, down from 52 per cent in 2023. This was accompanied by a decline in the average time spent viewing broadcast television, down to 4.8 hours a week in 2024 from 5.6 hours a week in 2023.

Australians have shifted the way they consume their content, but two things have not shifted: Australians' desire for a strong Australian arts and media sector and the legislative landscape for subscription video on demand. Right now, free-to-air broadcasters have Australian content requirements. Pay TV has Australian content requirements. Streaming services do not. This gap means Australian stories are being overshadowed by a global library of content created elsewhere. That's why I'm so happy to support the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025.

This is practical legislation that will strengthen our cultural sector and deliver clear benefits for communities like mine in southern Sydney. Fifty-sex per cent of Australians believe the arts benefits their wellbeing, but half of Australians are not attending arts events as much as they would like, with cost and location cited as significant barriers to arts attendance. It's clear that Australians want access to arts, entertainment and media right here in Australia. This legislation aims to ensure that we maintain a significant arts and culture industry in Australia.

Streaming services really took off around the world during the mid- to late-2010s. It was an enormous opportunity for regulatory reform for those who were in government during that time to ensure that Australians were positioned to take advantage of this transition in consumption. Did we have a government during those years that was innovative and forward thinking? Unfortunately not. We had those opposite in government. While overseas companies were swooping into Australia to take advantage of these changes, those opposite did nothing to ensure that Australians would benefit from it. In a challenging landscape, Australian streamers like Presto and Quickflix collapsed.

On top of that, those opposite butchered the arts sector. The 2014 federal budget slashed almost $60 million of the arts and cultural development funding and also slashed about $68 million from Screen Australia and the Australia Council—cuts that devastated the arts community and shattered the trust of artists and creative workers across this nation that Australia was a place where a career as an artist could be built. Those opposite's efforts damaged the industry. They sought to create an environment where the arts couldn't flourish, just as they sought to create an environment where manufacturing couldn't flourish. They dared our manufacturers to go offshore, and that's exactly what our vehicle manufacturers did. Those efforts almost did the same to the arts sector. As a brother to one of those in the creative sector, I know how much value is added to our society by the arts sector and how devastated the arts community were to know that the Liberal-National government didn't see their value.

Fortunately, the Australian people rejected this antediluvian and backward-thinking approach. They elected an Albanese Labor government to bring back an Australia where creativity and the arts could flourish. In its first 12 months in office, the Albanese Labor government released its national cultural policy, aptly named Revive. Revive is structured around five interconnected pillars, which set out the government's strategic objectives. Firstly, it puts First Nations first, recognising and respecting the crucial place of First Nations stories at the centre of Australia's arts and culture. Secondly, it allows a place for every story, reflecting the breadth of our stories and the contribution of all Australians as creators of culture. Thirdly, it recognises centrality of the artist, supporting the artist as a worker and celebrating artists as creators. Fourthly, it provides strong cultural infrastructure, providing support across the spectrum of institutions which sustain our arts, culture and heritage. Finally, it engages the audience, making sure our stories connect with people at home and abroad. This bill builds on the structure put in place through the national cultural policy.

For so many in my electorate, arts are an important part of life. In September, I had the opportunity to met with Eric Nash of Glasshouse Productions, a local filmmaker from the Sutherland shire. Eric wrote, directed and produced the feature film Love You Like That and shot it entirely in the shire. Starring Mitchell Hope and comedy great Steph Tisdell, the film celebrated our local area on screen and achieved national success, screening in over 90 cinemas. It's now streaming in the USA, Canada, the UK and here in Australia, proudly showcasing the beauty and heart of the Sutherland shire to international audiences.

Hughes is a photogenic place. We have the beauty of Bundeena, the marvels of Maianbar, the rare beauty of the Royal National Park, the spectacular Simmos Beach, the healthy hum of the Heathcote National Park, the gentle run of the Georges River and a thriving and healthy koala population. Hughes has a lot to offer, and Australia has a lot to offer the world of film, television and streaming. However, local gems of films like Love You Like That struggle to get the national spotlight in an environment that favours big international players. I'm sure, Deputy Speaker Georganas, that you will be rushing home to stream it online as soon as you're out the chair, now that you know what it has to offer, but other content isn't so fortunate.

When Australian film and television is allowed to shine, we know that it is highly successful on the world stage. Programs like Bluey have children all around the world saying, 'Airport? I'm not going to the airport,' in an Australian accent. Colin from Accounts brought to the screen the relatable situation of falling asleep on the T4 and waking up at Waterfall and dared to imagine a world in which Waterfall had a big Chinese restaurant. Mad Max: Fury Road had fans all around 'witness' it. This is what Australian cinema can achieve when it's given a fair go. Our films goes straight to the pool room!

But the media landscape has been stacked against Australian creators for too long. This bill builds on the government's efforts to change that. Families in Barden Ridge, Hammondville and Macquarie Fields gather at home in the evenings to watch dramas and documentaries. They love David Attenborough, as we all do, but they also want to hear Australian voices telling Australian stories that matter to Australians. That's why this bill matters to people in Hughes. It ensures that, no matter what screen they choose to watch, there is guaranteed access to Australian productions that reflect our identity and our values.

This bill is straightforward. It requires major streaming services with over one million Australian subscribers to invest at least 10 per cent of their total program expenditure into new Australian commissions or first-release acquisitions of eligible program formats. These formats include drama, children's content, documentary, arts and educational programs. Alternatively, services may choose the option of investing 7.5 per cent of their gross Australian revenue. Without a new tax and without a new levy, it's a simple requirement to reinvest a small part of the value these platforms derive from the Australian public back into Australian stories. It mirrors arrangements that already exist for other broadcasters and ensures Australians will continue to see themselves represented on screen.

Australia has always played an important global role in the film industry. The first full-length narrative feature film was created right here. On Boxing Day 1906, The Story of the Kelly Gang opened at the Athenaeum theatre in Melbourne. It was the first multi-reel, feature-length film ever produced in the world, and it was produced right here. So our history of the film industry is long and important, and for the people of Hughes this bill does several important things.

Firstly, it strengthens local industries. Our area is home to producers, editors, animators and creatives who work across the screen sector. Many residents commute into the city each day to work in production houses, studios or digital design firms. This bill helps secure jobs for these workers by giving producers more certainty that local content will be commissioned.

Secondly, it supports small business. Sydney is home to businesses that supply equipment, post-production services, sound design and filming support. When Australian productions increases, these businesses grow. It means jobs in our local communities. It means the growth of local spending. That's of direct economic benefit for Hughes.

Thirdly, it supports young people. There are thousands of young creatives in Hughes. Students in schools across the Sutherland shire, Liverpool and Campbelltown LGAs study media, film and performing arts. They are capable. They are ambitious. They are eager to contribute to an industry that feels increasingly global and competitive. By increasing Australian commissions, we give these students clearer pathways for their careers and more opportunities to develop skills close to home.

Lastly, this bill ensures strong and continued representation for all Australians. The Hughes community is very diverse. Families from many cultural backgrounds call Hughes home, and Australians want these stories, the stories of modern Australia, reflected on screen. Residents bring perspectives shaped by their heritage, their personal histories and their connection to local places. If we want a future Australia to feel seen and understood, our screens must reflect that diversity. The current market does not always guarantee this, but this bill introduces a stable requirement that improves representation and supports stories that come from communities like ours.

The bill amends the Broadcasting Services Act to introduce Australian content requirements for subscription video-on-demand services. It also makes consequential amendments to the ACMA Act so that the authority can administer these obligations. It establishes clear rules, including a three-year carryover period for expenditure and a statutory review after four years to ensure the scheme is working as intended. This balances certainty with accountability. Services have flexibility to manage expenditure across years, while the public can trust that the system will be evaluated and improved over time. The requirement only applies to major services with more than one million Australian subscribers. It excludes platforms that feature predominantly user-generated content, services that rely solely on advertising or those with limited appeal. It ensures the scheme targets the largest players without burdening small platforms.

This legislation also protects the public by imposing civil penalties for breaches. When rules exist, they must be enforceable. The ACMA will have powers to determine classes of expenditure and revenue and to request notifications from service providers. These delegated powers are made through disallowable instruments, which protects parliamentary oversight.

In relation to why the level of regulation is necessary where the market already produces Australian content, the answer is simple: without clear requirements, local content becomes vulnerable to fluctuations in global investments. Large platforms commission programs from many countries at once, and decisions are not always made with the Australian public in mind. Our content can be deprioritised or replaced with cheaper imports. Over time, this has the potential to erode the presence to Australian voices. A stable requirement ensures that, even as technology changes, our identity is not diluted.

Residents in Hughes want Australian stories on their screens. They want Australian children to grow up watching Australian programs that reflect their lives and surroundings. They want an arts and cultural sector that offers good jobs and strong career pathways. They want the creative talent in south-west Sydney and the Sutherland Shire to be supported, not overshadowed. This bill responds to those expectations. It supports economic development. It strengthens cultural expression and representation. It gives certainty to creators and businesses. It ensures major global companies that benefit from Australian audiences contribute meaningfully to Australian storytelling.

The people of Hughes are passionate, diverse and proud to be Australian, and they want their stories reflected. They value fairness and contribution. The expect that, when a service operates in Australia and profits from Australian households, it also invests in Australian culture. This bill meets that expectation in a balanced, proportionate and effective way. Australians love their television. They love their film. This bill gives Australians the opportunity to love Australian film and media like that. I commend this bill to the House.

Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Wake in Frightsometimes that happens when I'm in Canberra. Death in Brunswickthat happens in my electorate. Breaker Morant and Gallipoli are great historical stories. Picnic at Hanging Rock; Lantana; Phar Lap; The Castle, which is another great favourite; Strictly Ballroom; Two Hands; WalkaboutI could go on about great Australian cinema. I've got some for you, Deputy Speaker Georganas: Acropolis Now, Our Generation, The Wog Boy. There was all of that great TV that we saw growing up: The Slap, Skippy the Bush Kangaroodo you remember that one? I watched that when I was a kid. Then there's Kath and Kim. Look at me, Deputy Speaker; I'm talking about Kath and Kim. The Secret Life of Us, Mystery Road, Heartbreak High, and on and on—it's great Australian television. My kids watch InvestiGators. That was on the ABC. It's a fantastic show for kids.

This is what this is about. The Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill is about supporting Australian storytellers, Australian cinema and Australian TV and about making sure, in amending through the Communications Legislation Amendment Bill, that we introduce content obligations on streaming services to make sure that, no matter which screen people are watching on, they have guaranteed access to Australian stories. We've always been a nation of storytellers, from the world's oldest continuous cultures—the First Nations storytellers—to the more modern storytellers that have brought to life the modern multicultural stories of ours to our screens, both the small screen and the silver screen. The screen industry is one of the most powerful platforms we have to share Australian stories—to share our stories with the world—whether it's Crocodile Dundee or Kath and Kim.

This bill ensures that our national identity, our voices, our experiences and our creativity are not only preserved but projected out proudly to future generations and to audiences across the globe. This bill will amend the Broadcasting Services Act to introduce an Australian screen content requirement for subscription video-on-demand services and will guarantee a minimum level of expenditure on new Australian content on streaming services. This is about ensuring access to Australian content and making sure that it's made readily available to and not unreasonably denied of Australian consumers and international audiences. This bill is going to require that streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure in Australia or 7.5 per cent of their revenue on new local drama, children's TV or film, documentary, and arts and educational programming.

The bill marks a major shift in how Australians will access Australian made content. The world has changed. We know that Australian stories are fundamental to shaping our national identity. I say that in the sense that—people might think it is just TV or movies. But what the screen does, what those stories do, is contribute to our social cohesion as a nation. It reflects back to the community the stories. Seeing ourselves on the screen is all about being able to express culturally what we're about and who we are and to help us understand who we are, what we're on about and sometimes why we are—when you get some of those deeper artistic efforts.

The national cultural policy, Revive, affirmed a simple truth that the people of Australia and the stories we tell are effectively our greatest cultural asset. They are worth every dollar because they tell the story of us. And the power of seeing ourselves on the small and large screen is so undeniably important because the stories cultivate community. They share the experiences that we have with each other, and a sense of belonging is nurtured by telling those stories, being part of those stories and seeing ourselves reflected back on the screen. As a kid, I remember getting so excited when there was an Australian film or television show with Australian accents. You'd get a lot of American television and so on, and some of the sitcoms were very funny and great, but there was a certain buzz and excitement when you'd watch BMX Bandits or shows like Skippy, or whatever it might be, with Australian accents on the screen. That was important for us growing up.

We also get to see our values reflected, our diversity and our character. In a sense, the stories on the screen show the world who we are. They also give us a way to interpret our past, to define our present and to showcase the creativity that exists here in Australia by putting it out on the global stage. We know that the world has changed the way that we consume media, art, television and film. Streaming services now dominate the media landscape in many respects. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found that the majority of Australians use streaming services as their preferred method for consuming screen content. That's about 81 per cent of Australians subscribing to at least one streaming service. That's a significant shift in the way that we consume this content. In Australia, we're spending a whopping $3.8 billion on videostreaming services and have a total of 26.6 million videostreaming accounts. Yet, until now, until this bill, these services have had no obligation whatsoever to invest in the country from which they have profited or are profiting.

Writers, performers, producers, directors, costume and make-up artists, set designers, gaffers—I could go on, but I don't know all the technical roles that exist. All Australian creatives deserve to have the streaming giants invest in their talent and in their work, their brilliant work, and I'm not alone in saying that. The majority of Australian streaming-service users agree that it's important to have Australian stories, voices and culture platformed on these services. There have been a number of studies done on this. Australians want to see more Australian content available to them. Beyond this, we can't overstate the importance of the Australian screen industry, for not just entertainment but our economy.

This is an industry that creates Australian jobs, innovation, cultural identity and international influence. It's an industry that employs tens of thousands of people, such as writers, editors, actors and technicians, and many others whose contributions often go unseen unless you sit there—and you should, by the way—until the end of the credits. It takes a lot of work and effort to produce some of those films and TV shows. This all depends on a strong local industry. But to be clear: I've heard it said that more people go to the NGV, the National Gallery of Victoria, than the MCG. Therefore, there is this great notion of looking at all the arts and of people enjoying the arts more than they're enjoying sports. And remember that Melbourne is the sporting capital, so that's quite a statistic. But do you know what I'd say to that too? I'd say that that's great, but not all of the arts is commercially viable.

There is a place for us to provide support for emerging artists, for new art and for new film and television as it emerges. Otherwise, we won't have an industry. It can't just be totally based on the commercial value. Otherwise, we'd just be making Hollywood productions up in Queensland. That's an important part of the industry, but having Dwayne Johnson run around with his top off and pretend to be in Los Angeles while he's in the Gold Coast is not an Australian story. Let's be honest about that. It's filmed in Australia but it's not an Australian story. While it's important for work for those creatives, I'm talking about Australian stories.

When you speak to people in the industry, it's this idea of a strong local industry that is such a point of advocacy. It's been something that has characterised the debate around the streaming services and the lack of obligation to provide some of their revenue towards local content.

I recently met with a constituent, Sky Davies, who is a cinematographer and screen practitioner in my electorate of Wills. I've met with a number of creatives in my electorate. Wills, in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, has one of the highest concentrations of creatives in Australia, I would say. She was joined by all these screen practitioners. There was Ryan. There was Mike. There was Con. All of them have felt the devastating decline in Australian stories, and not having any quotas for local content on streaming services has impacted their work, particularly in Victoria.

I mentioned some of the film work that's happening up in Queensland. That's great. But Victoria and other states suffer when you don't have the local content. The number of crew members is at a historic low. There's a very high attrition rate. People are being forced out of the industry due to depleted employment opportunities. The group expressed to me that the situation is so dire that, if this continued, in one year probably only one member of the group would be sitting in our meeting as a working creative.

For decades, the Australian screen industry thrived because of the Australian content requirements on free-to-air TV. Quotas for local content have long been required for free-to-air broadcast, but they have not existed for the streaming services as they've emerged and taken over a lot of the platforms that people use to watch content. In the past, those requirements ensured that our screens reflected our lives as Australians, reflected us back to ourselves and reflected our stories. They ensured that, when we turned on the TV, we saw our cities, our unique humour, our history and our culture on the screen. But the world has changed and the way Australians engage with and watch content has shifted, as I mentioned earlier. There has been a 17.5 per cent decline in the number of Australian titles this year alone and a large reduction in overseas investment from streaming services.

Before politics, I worked as an executive at SBS. I've worked in film finance, financing independent film. I'm very passionate about the importance of local content and telling Australian stories. When I was at SBS, we brought on NITV to be part of SBS. The profound impact of telling First Nations stories, not just for Indigenous people across Australia but for all Australians, has been really felt and benefits have developed from that.

It's also about telling our multicultural stories—who we are as a nation. Earlier in my speech I referred to Acropolis Now and some of these other multicultural sitcoms, and we had a laugh about that. They were great shows—

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Indeed they were.

Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but they told the stories of the emerging migrant groups. We saw people reflected on the screen, telling us who we are and showing us who we are.

This government is committed to delivering on our national cultural policy, Revive. That policy is pivotal to our ability to promote the cultural importance of local Australian stories, ensure that Australian content has international reach and support Australia's global brand and standing. It is also pivotal to our ability to boost the positive economic impact of the screen sector on Australia's economy. This government believes strongly that, to understand who we are better, to tell our stories and to express ourselves, we should never ever underestimate how important it is for Australians to see themselves represented on the screen.

There is nothing wrong with American sitcoms, European shows and so on. They're all great shows, but they're not our stories. Our stories are unique to us. They are also a window on Australia and the diversity of Australia, and being able to tell those stories to the rest of the world is important for Australia's standing globally.

With this bill, the Albanese government is standing with our Australian creatives. We're making sure that that percentage of revenue that the streaming services collect from their subscriptions in Australia is going to be reinvested in Australian content. It will be a steady stream. In everything I've heard from the industry, they say, 'We need that stability. We need that baseline so we know that we've got work, and a pipeline of work—not one job and then eight months sitting at home, hoping for another job to come. We need to have that steady stream coming through.'

So we as a government are always going to invest in our culture, our industries and our future. I think this is a really important bill for Australia's cultural identity and for all the creative people and all the young people, as well as older people, who want to continue to work in creative industries, to tell our stories. It's such a special part of who we are. With the arts, it's not just about the economics. It's the heart and soul of any society. It's intangible to a certain extent. It's immeasurable to a certain extent. But you know when you see it and you understand when you see it how important it is to us as a people to be able to tell those stories and how that moves us emotionally. It moves our hearts as well as our minds. I think it's so important to be able to provide this certainty for the screen industry. That is why I am very, very happy to commend this bill to the House.

Madonna Jarrett (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025. When this bill passes, Australians will see more Australian produced content on their streaming services. Whether you are watching on your television, iPhone, iPad or laptop, it is important that you get to see it and that our government plays a role in supporting Australian content where it can.

The first television broadcast in Australia took place on 30 September 1929 at the Menzies Hotel in Melbourne, using the electromechanical radiovision system. That's a mouthful! After 18 months of test transmissions, regular broadcasts began in Brisbane on 6 May in 1934, using a 30-line system. That reached an estimated 18 receivers around Brisbane. The test transmissions, which were an hour's duration each day, were made from the Wickham Terrace observatory tower. The programs included news headlines, still pictures—you've got to go way, way back into the early 1900s here—and silent movies, such as the temperance film Horrors of Drink.

Since the introduction of the television in Australia, there have been a number of programs and world events that have stopped the nation and we have used the box to see them. One of the first world events was the moon landing. I can't remember that one. The second, for me, was 9/11, of which there was wall-to-wall coverage. And then who could forget the Women's World Cup quarter-final, with the Matildas versus France and that penalty shootout that had the entire nation sitting on the edge of their seats? Then there was my favourite, Cathy Freeman, with the weight of the nation on her shoulders when she came steaming home to take the 400-metre gold at the Sydney Olympics. These things are in my memory just like it was yesterday.

One of my earliest memories as a kid is of coming home from school and huddling in front of the television with my sisters to watch Skippy. The famous theme song would be playing: 'Skippy, Skippy, Skippy, the bush kangaroo.' It stood the test of time. And then, when I was a teenager, as a family we would gather around the television to watch A Country Practiceabout the lives of the locals in Wandin Valley. It was a quintessential Aussie show. Who could forget that episode that stopped the nation when Molly Jones died? There wasn't a dry eye in the lounge room. Then, on a lighter note, every Saturday we would turn on the television at 6.30 for Hey Hey It's Saturday, rolling around the floor laughing at the difference skits. Who could forget Red's face? Then there was the classic Kingswood Country. We can't forget Ted Bullpitt, who himself was a TV addict, and his absolute love of his Holden Kingswood. And then there's one that others have mentioned here before—'Kim, look at moi.' I'm sure many in this House can recognise that line from the iconic Kath & Kim series. There are also classic Australian dramas, like Neighbours and Home and Away, that launched international stars such as Kylie Minogue, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Margot Robbie, Julian McMahon, Naomi Watts, Simon Bakers, Heath Ledger and many more.

Even though we are a relatively small country, with 27.5 million people, we have always batted above our weight when it comes to producing shows that stand the test of time and can compete on the international stage. When Australian writers and performers are given the support to produce Australian stories, we always see the most amazing productions come together, and we have heard from previous speakers here this afternoon the titles of some of our greatest. But we should never underestimate how important it is for Australians to see themselves on screen. It helps us better understand ourselves and our neighbours, and it allows the world to see us. That's why, in 2023, this government released its landmark national cultural policy, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place. It's a five-year plan to renew and revive Australia's arts, entertainment and cultural sector. It delivers new momentum so that Australia's creative workers, organisations and audiences continue to thrive and grow and our arts, culture and heritage are repositioned as central to Australia's future.

Revive is structured around five interconnected pillars which set out the government's strategic objectives: (1) First Nations first: recognising and respecting the crucial place of First Nations stories at the centre of Australia's arts and culture; (2) a place for every story: reflecting the breadth of our stories and the contribution of all Australians as the creators of culture; (3) centrality of the artist: supporting the artist as worker and celebrating artists as creators; (4) strong cultural infrastructure: providing support across the spectrum of institutions which sustain our arts, culture and heritage; and (5) engaging the audience: making sure our stories connect with people at home and abroad.

Then, sitting across these pillars are 10 principles that guide actions and investments over the next five years: (1) First Nations arts and culture are First Nations led; (2) all Australians, regardless of language, literacy, geography, age or education, have the opportunity to access and participate in arts and culture; (3) artists and arts workers have career structures that are long-term and sustainable, supported by vocational pathways; (4) Australian students have the opportunity to receive an education that includes culture, creativity, humanities and the arts; (5) creative talent is nurtured through fair remuneration, industry standards and safe and inclusive work cultures; (6) arts and cultural organisations have representation and leadership that is reflective of contemporary Australia; (7) cultural infrastructure, including galleries, libraries, museums, archives and digital collections, is restored, built and maintained; (8) Australian stories are seen and heard, regardless of platform—this is central to today's discussion—(9) creative industries and practice are future focused, technology enabled, networked and globally recognised, including through reciprocal exchange, export and cultural diplomacy; and (10) arts and culture are generative, creating new works and supporting emerging artists, and preservative, protecting heritage and conserving cultural memory.

This legislation delivers on our commitment in the national cultural policy, Revive, to set local content requirements on streaming services. It recognises that Australian people and their stories are our greatest cultural asset. Australian stories help to shape our national identity, define who we are and make us recognisable on the international stage. Once this legislation is passed, it will make sure that, no matter what screen you're watching from, you will have guaranteed access to Australian stories. It will mandate that streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure for Australia or 7.5 per cent of their revenue on local drama, children's documentary, arts and educational programs. This will give vital support to our domestic screen sector and arts workers by ensuring quality local stories continue to be produced in Australia.

We have Australian content requirements on free-to-air television and pay TV, but until now there has been no guarantee that we could see our own stories on streaming services. We really are in a new era where fewer people are sitting down in the lounge room to watch their favourites on the box. It's all about streaming platforms now, and we have to go where the people are going. With this legislation, we'll be able to ensure that, no matter which remote control you're holding or which laptop button you're clicking, Australian stories will be at your fingertips.

In my electorate of Brisbane, I recently visited Ludo Studio. What's Ludo Studio? Think Bluey, Dingo, Chilli, Coco and Dusty, amongst others. Bluey is now an Australian icon. I spoke with the co-founder of Ludo Studio, alongside Screen Producers Australia, about the importance of locally produced content. What I heard was that real Australian content, like Bluey, matters. It connects us to who we are and shares our culture with the world, which is why these laws are so important.

These laws will enable us to see the great work of our screen producers and artists. In my electorate office, I recently met with Rebecca and Stephen from Screen Producers Australia. They were talking about their 'Make it Australian: Give Our Stories a Fair Go' campaign. They shared real-life examples of how challenging it was to compete with big companies like Netflix, Stan, Apple TV and Amazon. They said that, when Australian industry is not invested in, we lose these skills locally and often end up importing these skills from overseas. They said that what makes the most difference is having quotas in streaming services, like the quota system that was introduced to broadcasting. Countries like the United Kingdom and Canada have quotas in place, and it has made a big difference to locally produced content.

Australian audiences have shifted to online streaming platforms, but our longstanding local content rules have not yet followed them. Australian stories are being left behind, and our audiences are missing out on the most accessible form of culture available. In fact, one artist who lobbied for quotas has gone on record to say:

There's something like 50,000 shows accessible to an Australian every day, which is just unbelievable.

He also said:

And we want to get in on that and tell some of our stories and be part of that bigger picture.

It's important that a model of streaming regulation delivers more genuinely Australian stories of cultural worth on our screens, particularly for our children.

The screen industry wanted to see a firm commitment from the government to support legislation for streaming services to invest in key genres, including children's content, scripted drama and documentaries, and that's exactly what this legislation will do. We want to work with the Australian screen industry to deliver on their priorities. Their priorities are around ensuring Australian audiences see and hear their own stories. They want to see flexible and fair local content investment obligations for streaming platforms, tied to revenue or subscribers. They want to see intellectual property protections to keep Australian stories in Australia and to ensure independent screen businesses can thrive and be autonomous. They'd also like to see strengthened national broadcasters and screen bodies through more funding for the ABC and SBS, as well as the building of a competitive and fair screen-investment framework.

By boosting local production, rewarding Australian ownership and fixing industry gaps—which can attract investment and keep production local—the screen industry really does support a diverse range of jobs across our creative industry economy. This includes writers and actors, but you also have costume designers, set designers, camera operators, audio-visual tech operators and many, many more. This industry drives economic growth across the country by creating skilled jobs, innovation and adaption of new technology. It drives tourism and exports Australian culture and values globally. It helps to shape our cultural identity through protecting local stories that strengthen our national pride, and it boosts connection with authentic Australian stories that foster belonging, community resilience and a shared experience.

As you've probably gathered, I love a good Australian production, and I've not long finished watching Mystery Road, with Detective Jay Swan. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Through a well-produced drama, the audience experiences life in the outback and First Nations struggles with inequality and the history of the Stolen Generation. It's a great Australian story. This homegrown creative force is one of the many we should be proud of and be prepared to ensure gets in front of fellow Australians.

Something a little bit lighter is the fantastic program Muster Dogs. It follows five graziers from across Australia who are given five kelpie puppies from the same litter. Who doesn't love a puppy? They are set the challenge of transforming these uniquely Australian dogs into champion muster dogs. But it is great shows like these that could miss out on being developed if we didn't support the industry with this bill. Government has a role fostering the creative forces that live here at home but, as we know, the government doesn't do creating. That role belongs to our artists, who need to be respected as both workers and as creators, who need strong infrastructure that provides training, development and space to share new works, and the nation needs those works to engage the audiences both here at home and around the world. That is why I'm proud to be part of a government that not only recognises but supports our creative industries so they can continue to thrive and tell great Australian stories.

In conclusion, I would like to quote The Castle, which to me sums up the principle behind this bill. Daryl is standing in front of the judge, and the judge says, 'And what law are you basing this argument on?' Daryl responds with 'the law of bloody common sense'. With that, I commend the bill to the House.

Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am also proud to rise today in support of this Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025. I am a fierce advocate for celebrating and protecting Australian content and Australian artists in all their forms, so I was really pleased to have the opportunity to talk about the buzz happening in the Illawarra right now with some really exciting projects we have seen this year.

Supporting Australian content is crucial, not only for the jobs and economic benefit that it gives supporting thousands of Australians every year and positioning Australia on the global stage but also for sharing our stories and for protecting our culture and way of life. Because while we share many similarities with places like the United Kingdom and the United States, there is something unique and special about Australia. Seeing that uniqueness represented on our screens is so important for cementing our own national identity, for us to know who we are, who our neighbours are and for fostering that shared sense of pride and understanding. You can't be what you can't see, and Australians need to see ourselves represented in the ever-growing streaming content that we consume every day.

This bill introduces a requirement for streaming services to include a minimum level of Australian content on their platforms. Streamers with more than one million Australian subscribers will need to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure on new Australian commissions or first-release acquisitions, or, alternatively, streaming providers can choose into invest 7.5 per cent of their gross Australian revenue. The eligible programs will be new local drama, children's shows, documentaries, arts and educational programs. This is part of the Albanese Labor government's commitment in Revive, our national cultural policy to set local content requirements on streaming services.

Our government is committed to ensuring that our future is made in Australia. We believe in our core that our future must start at home. That is not just manufacturing and goods exports but also our cultural exports, and we simply cannot guarantee the future of Australian cultural exports without protecting them through content requirements. We have Australian content requirements on free-to-air television and on pay television, protecting Australian cultural identity and Australian jobs.

The growth of streaming services over the past few years has been huge and it is important they be subject to the same requirements for the same reason—to protect our stories and to ensure that we see ourselves represented in arts and culture. This guarantee means there will be Australian stories on all screens. In my electorate of Cunningham in the Illawarra. we are proving ourselves to be a big drawcard when it comes to content creation. If I have one message for the streaming companies it is: the Illawarra is open for business and we have it all. We are a short helicopter ride from Sydney, as we saw with Elton John, who proved this when he flew in and out of WIN Stadium for his amazing concert a few short years ago. From memory, it took him about 20 minutes—a very short commute, if you ask me.

We have the most picturesque coastline you could imagine. Our famous Seacliff Bridge has featured in advertisements and television shows multiple times, showcasing one aspect of what makes our coastline so beautiful—where the mountains meet the sea—as beautiful a picture as you can get. And Hollywood has already started to discover our wonderful recipe. This year alone we have seen two famous and recognisable faces come to Wollongong to make their latest Hollywood blockbusters. In February the incredible Russell Crowe was spotted in Wollongong Harbour filming his movie The Beast in Me with a famous Australian line-up that included Daniel MacPherson, Luke Hemsworth and Amy Shark. Russell has felt the Illawarra magic before, filming Poker Face in Kiama and Gerringong in 2022 as well.

Then, in April, the small and very quirky and arty town of Port Kembla was absolutely abuzz. The original Baywatch girl, Pamela Anderson herself, was filming on Wentworth Street. The film, Place to Be, used the Servo as its set—a fantastic local bar and live music venue that is also committed to giving local Australian artists a platform. Port Kembla was also the set for Stan's series Exposure in 2023 and featured in the BBC's mystery series Return to Paradise last year.

Another famous Hollywood movie, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, was filmed in multiple spots across the Illawarra, including in the old Helensburgh Tunnel, a spot many local people would have instantly recognised in the film. At the time, Screen Illawarra's Kingston Anderson said that the production was 'probably the largest feature film to be shot in Australia'. That happened in my hometown. There's not much that gets more thrilling than that.

We have so much potential—as you know, Deputy Speaker Freelander—not just for Hollywood but for locally made content as well. Our very own Yael Stone, of Orange Is the New Black fame, filmed her recent Paramount Plus series, One Night, in the northern suburbs of the Illawarra, with many instantly recognisable landmarks, like the famous Scarborough pub, the Sea Cliff Bridge, local train stations and more. In the series, Yael's character, Hat, does what many locals do—commutes to the city on the train everyday to get to work. It was actually at Thirroul train station where I met Yael for the very first time during the 2022 election campaign. This is a piece of our community's reality—a small, but important, feature of this drama series. Produced by the company of Screen Illawarra patron Ian Collie, Easy Tiger Productions, the film employed lots of locals and helped project our beautiful coastline onto screens worldwide.

The film, Over, is a community driven production which has a cast and crew entirely made up of Illawarra artists. It was filmed across Wollongong and last year it won Best Commissioned Film at the Creative Wollongong Short Film Festival. In yet another exciting development in 2025 that has really seen our region hit some high notes for Australian film, it took out the Specsavers Award for Best Australian Comedy Short Film at Flickerfest 2025. How great is that?

These are just some examples. There simply is not enough time to celebrate all the amazing productions that have come out of Wollongong in the last few years. A lot of these opportunities have been thanks to the incredible hard work of Screen Illawarra, which has been tireless in its effort to pitch our region to the screen industry. Earlier this year Screen Illawarra took a delegation of industry representatives from Warner Bros, Disney and the BBC on a tour of our coastline, visiting local attractions like Bald Hill, Symbio Wildlife Park, BlueScope and more. I have been speaking regularly with Screen Illawarra about ways that our government can help support them to grow this blossoming market. I look forward to seeing so many more exciting exports coming to a streamer near you very soon. There are lots of exciting possibilities being worked on—I'll say that much—and I can't wait to see what is next.

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the chair of Screen Illawarra, Nick Bolton, and all of his team for their outstanding advocacy and genuine hard work in getting the Illawarra to where it is today and where it will be tomorrow. Our region is so lucky to have you fighting for us, seeing our potential and helping to make that a reality. Thank you.

It is not just film and television where our government is demonstrating our commitment to local Australian artists. Just last week I was so privileged to get to attend the ARIA Awards—our national night to celebrate everything Australian music. I owe a huge thanks to the Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, for helping me to get there, for one very exciting reason. For the very first time, the ARIA Awards had a brand new category of Best Music Festival, and Wollongong's Yours and Owls was nominated. We could not have been prouder of our guys getting this national recognition, and I just had to be there with them to celebrate that. They may have been pipped at the post by Laneway Festival, but that does not diminish the incredible achievement it was to make it into that category in its inaugural year. Congratulations to Adam, Balunn, Ben and all their team on this mighty achievement.

What made the night even more exciting was that, while I was there, I got the news that Yours and Owls had been awarded $250,000 under the Revive Live program—so I got to tell Adam this exciting news face to face while we waited for the announcement of their award nomination. Revive Live is supporting our live music industry, keeping venues open, keeping festivals entertaining fans and keeping Australian music alive. It was such a great moment to give Adam that news, and I am so pleased to be supporting Yours and Owls with original Australian artist fees, marketing, production and accessibility costs.

I mentioned the servo earlier where Pamela Anderson was filming. Once again, I was delighted to provide them with $75,000 under Revive Live. We're also giving $33,832 to La La La's, another local live music venue which is helping to promote local artists and ensuring Australian music is enjoyed by fans in the Illawarra.

Since the Revive Live program began this year, we have delivered over $650,000 to help support local artists and venues. I will keep doing everything I can to champion Australian music, our talented Australian artists and the venues that celebrate them. I once again highlight the strong dedication our government has to protecting Australia's culture, protecting Australian content and ensuring we don't lose valuable jobs and revenue to overseas markets. I give a special mention here to the Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, and the Minister for Communications, Anika Wells, for their dedication to making these content requirements law.

We have a clear and defined purpose to create a future made in Australia. It's not a tagline. It's not just a motto. It is a guiding principle we are following through, with real policy and real funding to ensure it happens. This has real and tangible benefits for Australian communities, particularly in regions like the Illawarra. We have already been big winners here. We have everything you could ever need for a production. We've got the vistas, we've got the proximity to a large city and we've got the talent.

I recently went on a tour of Disney Studios in Moore Park. I wasn't surprised to learn that a significant portion of their workers live in the Illawarra, particularly in the animation field. That's a workforce ready to go for the next major Hollywood—or, hopefully, Australian—production. Big stars like Russell Crowe and Pamela Anderson know it. Companies like Disney and Warner Brothers have seen the potential. Our government will do everything we can to create the environment that attracts investment in Australian products and Australian people. It's just one more notch for a future made in Australia.

I say to anyone thinking about the next big Australian film or series: come and knock on our door. We're ready and the Illawarra is open for business. You will not regret spending your time in the mighty Illawarra. I commend the bill to the House.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak in support of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025. This bill delivers on the Albanese Labor government's commitment to introduce an Australian content obligation on streaming services, ensuring that, no matter what screen you're watching from, you have guaranteed access to Australian stories. Our National Cultural Policy—Revive, which is wonderful—recognises that our greatest cultural asset is Australia's people and their stories—our stories. It also acknowledges there have been major changes in the way audiences access and consume film and television content; we've all seen that over the past few years.

Australia's television landscape has evolved to include not just public broadcasters, commercial broadcasters and cable but, increasingly, a huge variety of streaming platforms and services. Australian content quotas for commercial television were first introduced in the 1960s, showing we have long known how important it is that the content of our screens reflects our culture and identity as Australians. These content requirements were updated in the 1990s to capture free-to-air and other television broadcasters, and this ensured a minimum level of Australian content was produced every year.

Of course, both the ABC and SBS acknowledge in their respective charters that their functions include informing, educating and entertaining audiences with content that represents our diverse identities, values and experiences. While streaming services derive very big profits from Australian audiences, often the content they deliver does reflect someone else's experience and someone else's identity. What these laws do is level the playing field. Just as free-to-air networks and pay television have long supported Australian stories through content requirements, streaming giants will now be required to invest in our people, our places and our perspectives.

Australian audiences are engaging with streaming services because these services produce some fantastic, wonderful and engaging shows, including the production of great Australian content—only a minority of services are yet to produce any Australian content—and we want to ensure that that quality Australian content continues on those services. This bill is not intended to criticise the operation of streaming businesses, but to acknowledge the fantastic content they produce and to ensure that Australian audiences invested in watching on these services are also able to continue to access important Australian stories.

The bill represents a significant step forward for Australia's creative industries as well as our cultural identity. This bill amends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to introduce a clear and enforceable Australian screen content requirement for on-demand streaming platforms that millions of Australians are using every day. It does this by guaranteeing a minimum of expenditure on new Australian content on those services. This is really important because, as we say, our stories matter. They reflect who we are, where we've come from and the values we all share. They showcase our unique voices to the world and ensure that future generations grow up with access to content that speaks of their own experiences.

It also highlights the immense talent and creativity of Australian actors, writers, directors, artists and other creatives. We have so many creative industries and people that we're incredibly proud of. It's not just our Aussies that want to see Australian content on their screens; we all know, worldwide, how well regarded Australian films are. Indeed, we've seen, over the decades, films that have had massive international success, like Picnic at Hanging Rock; Mad Max; The Castle; Crocodile Dundee; The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert;Strictly Ballroom; and Muriel's Wedding, which not only was a reflection of my area in northern New South Wales but was filmed in parts of it as well. We have recently seen some other Australian made content achieve global success. We see it all the time—from Rake to Mr Inbetween, Colin from Accounts and, of course, Bluey. We all love Bluey.

Australian film and television have a global reputation for innovation and emotional honesty, and these Aussie made shows have been hugely successful, reaching international audiences, and we want to see more of that. In the words of Bluey, 'Coconuts have water in them'—sorry! Wrong quote. In the words of Bluey, 'If you can imagine it, you can play it.' This bill guarantees that streaming services will invest in telling those stories by setting a minimum level of expenditure on new Australian content. Under these reforms, on-demand streaming platforms will be required to dedicate at least 10 per cent of their total program expenditure to commissioning or acquiring first release Australian drama, children's programs, documentaries, arts and educational content, and these are the genres that shape our culture and inspire us creatively.

This bill also allows providers to meet their obligation on a revenue basis, investing at least 7.5 per cent of their gross Australian revenue in eligible Australian content. This approach ensures fairness whilst maintaining strong support for local production. Importantly, the bill adopts existing definitions from the Australian content and children's television standards, providing consistency across the industry. It also includes practical measures, such as three-year carry-over period for expenditure and a statutory review after four years, to ensure the framework is effective and responsive to change.

Oversight will be provided by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, ACMA, which will administer the Australian screen content requirement and receive reports from streaming services on their compliance with the requirements. These reforms will futureproof our screen sector. As traditional broadcast consumption declines, we know streaming platforms dominate how Australians, especially young Australians, consume media, and, without these laws, there's a real risk that Australian voices could become increasingly marginalised on platforms that prioritise high-volume international content. This legislation ensures that future generations grow up seeing people that represent them, in towns and cities like theirs, telling stories that reflect Australian humour, character and resilience, of course; and ensures that Australian stories will not be lost in an ocean of overseas content.

The development of the content requirements in this bill reflects the extensive and genuine consultation that the Albanese Labor government has undertaken with industry stakeholders. We arrived at a policy that will achieve meaningful outcomes in ensuring the representation of Australian voices and perspectives on screen—one that's also consistent with Australia's international trade obligations.

Of course, these reforms are not just about entertainment; they're about jobs, investment and employment opportunities. As the member for Cunningham said too, for regional areas like hers and like mine, it is a game changer when we have productions occurring in our regions and a lot of employment as a result of Australian made television and film. These opportunities will strengthen our screen industry, create work for thousands of Australians in production and postproduction and help our stories reach audiences both here and overseas. Economically, these reforms will, importantly, drive job creation, particularly in regional areas, where film industries are emerging as major contributors to local economies. That's certainly the case in my area in northern New South Wales. More Australian productions means more work for writers, actors, directors, set designers, lighting specialists, camera operators, caterers, accommodation providers and transport services.

In my electorate of Richmond, we have a growing film and production industry. We also have so many elements that really contribute to making it a great location for film and television. We know that we've got so many versatile locations, with pristine beaches, subtropical rainforest, stunning hinterland, historic towns, agricultural properties and coastal villages all within a short driving distance. We have a growing network of film and television production professionals, supported by organisations like Screenworks, which plays a pivotal role in building local talent capacity, connecting regional crew with inbound productions and offering really important training for screenwriters, producers and directors. Also in my electorate, FIN Ballina is a visual effects studio. Their VFX artists, designers and producers work with some of the biggest names in film, television and other visual mediums.

We also have so many international film festivals. The Byron Bay International Film Festival, running since 2006, showcases Australian and international film talent for thousands of film lovers throughout our region. Film By the Northern Rivers, another annual film festival in my electorate, showcases the work and filmmaking talent of New South Wales public school students, from kindergarten to year 11. The festival is aimed at promoting storytelling through film, and it's a really great celebration of the creativity of our young future filmmakers.

We also consistently see the secondary impacts of productions in my local area and the huge economic benefits for our local community through the demand for accommodation, catering, transport, hiring and tourism. We could never underestimate that ongoing benefit that it brings, from Hollywood blockbusters that we've had filmed—like Aquaman, which was filmed in our region, and many more—to lots of TV shows, including the very long-running British version of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!,which has actually been filmed in a place called Dungay just outside of Murwillumbah for more than 20 years. Having that in place—the economic benefits that flow on from that are absolutely massive. We consistently have—and I couldn't name all of the movies and the television shows that are made in our region. We certainly want to encourage that and encourage more local job creation because of it, in both those industries and the industries that support them in doing that.

In conclusion, this bill ensures that Australian content remains front and centre, and that's what our government is committed to doing. It's about protecting our culture, supporting our economy and guaranteeing that Australian stories continue to be told on the platforms that Australians enjoy and watch all the time—on our streaming services. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.