Screenwest lures film and TV projects to the West with Australia's richest post-production screen incentive
The screen production boom looks set to continue in WA, after the State's peak funding body, Screenwest, announced on Monday the nation's richest incentive of its kind for filmmakers.
The Cook Government can't afford for its ballyhooed Malaga film studio to become a white elephant, but attracting productions to the West depends less on facilities — there are already well-established options in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria — and more on the bottom line for studios.
In a tacit acknowledgement of this fact, Screenwest has boosted its post-production rebate scheme, which had previously been capped at 10 per cent of qualifying expenditure for productions with budgets over $500,000.
From July 1, the rebate, which is funded by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, will increase to 20 per cent, doubling the payments made to eligible bigger-budget projects for post-production, digital and visual effects carried out in WA.
The new rebate is in addition to a 30 per cent post-production Federal Government offset for productions of at least $500,000.
Studios spread post-production work around the globe to chase the most attractive incentives, which is why you'll see VicScreen and the South Australian Film Corporation listed in the closing credits of even the biggest Marvel movies.
The increased WA incentive should see the Screenwest logo appear more frequently in the credits now, but the funding body's chief executive Rikki Lea Bestall said it's about something more than brand recognition.
'This is . . . squarely aimed at encouraging more post-production projects to Western Australia to do business with our skilled practitioners, from editors to sound designers, VFX artists and animators,' Ms Bestall said.
'WA has a steady pipeline of scripted and documentary productions, which are being filmed on-location and in studios across our state, and that is only going to increase next year when the Perth Film Studios open in Malaga.
'But many of these projects take the next phase of their production elsewhere. We want to make sure our State is being considered as a good place to do business for all facets of screen production.'
The WA economy received nearly $65 million worth of screen production expenditure in the past financial year, up from $41.5 million the previous year.
Productions brought to WA by existing incentives in the past financial year included Season 2 of The Twelve, starring Sam Neill, and The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage, which can currently be seen in cinemas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
WA Budget 2025: Opposition calls for rethink on payroll tax as companies feel the pressure
Shadow treasurer Sandra Brewer has called on the Cook Government to reform payroll tax after it was left untouched in this week's State budget. Ms Brewer said the Government should look at either increasing the threshold to have to pay the tax or to lower the rate of the tax itself. Despite the call, she did not have a suggestion on how much to change either number by. Ms Brewer said the pleas from businesses had been falling on deaf ears. 'Industry associations and employer groups have been asking for a higher threshold and a lower rate to be more competitive with other Australian states for years now, but the government doesn't listen,' she said. 'The opposition is open to listening to all views on payroll tax but we encourage the government to use their parliamentary power and their record receipts of royalties and taxes to look at reforming this tax.' Currently, business with wages of more than $1 million pay payroll tax, with the rate increasing progressively through to business with wages of more than $7.5 million where the full rate of 5.5 per cent is applied. According to the Budget, the payroll tax raised $5.88 billion in the 2024-25 financial year and is tipped to rise to $6.15 billion in 2025-26. By 2028-29, the revenue raised by the tax is expected to surpass $7 billion. Surveying business Vision Surveys Consulting owner Jay Sidhu said he was feeling the pinch from payroll tax. 'Payroll tax is just an unnecessary burden to businesses, especially businesses like us in an economy like this where we're trying to hire more staff,' he said. 'It's being that hindrance for us to even look at potentially hiring more people, it's something that we have to consider very strongly before we actually think of growing sustainably.' Ms Brewer also linked the tax to the current housing shortfall, saying the tax disincentivized construction businesses from growing, limiting its capacity. 'I'm constantly approached by businesses who are finding the rising costs of doing business extremely difficult, and payroll tax is just another cost,' she said. 'It has to be passed on to clients or consumers and that contributes to everything going up. 'We see it particularly in small businesses that are working in the housing sector they have enormous costs and payroll tax is another burden that needs to be passed on to, ultimately, the home buyer.' A State Government spokesperson said taxes were being constantly monitored. 'Our Government continually monitors its tax settings, including payroll tax, to ensure our tax system is fair and competitive with other jurisdictions,' they said. 'It's important to note more than 90 per cent of WA's 235,000 businesses don't pay payroll tax — only larger businesses, and in recent years we've seen incredibly strong growth in business investment. 'Our government has delivered a range of tax reforms to support businesses and reduce red tape, including the biggest increase in the payroll tax threshold in more than two decades in 2020 when we increased the payroll tax exemption by $150,000. 'This provided a payroll tax cut to about 70 per cent of payroll tax paying businesses, including around 1000 that were no longer required to pay payroll tax.'
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Another TV series comes to Fremantle
Yet another TV series has commenced production in Fremantle, with confirmation Reckless, a BBC Studios Production for NITV and SBS, has begun filming in the port city. Leading the cast is WA's own Tasma Walton (The Twelve) who stars alongside AACTA Award-winner Hunter Page-Lochard (The Newsreader). They play feuding siblings forced to work together to get away with a hit-and-run accident that occurs in Fremantle. Reckless is an adaptation of the Scottish mystery thriller TV series Guilt, written by Neil Forsyth, which premiered on both BBC Two and BBC Scotland in 2019. It is being brought to Aussie screens by WA creative, EP and writer Kodie Bedford. 'From day one, I wanted to make a bold show with audacious characters that felt unapologetically Western Australian,' she said. 'I'm so bloody happy to be home telling this yarn with a team of creatives who have all shared the vision and taken it somewhere even wilder than I ever imagined.' Reckless sports a talented supporting cast. Credit: Supplied. Joining Walton and Lochard is a stacked cast, which includes Perth-raised stars, Jessica De Gouw (The Survivors), Steve Le Marquand (Mystery Road: Origin) and Clarence Ryan (Mystery Road: Origin). Jane Harber (Offspring), Tracy Mann (The Twelve), and WA-based Kath and Kim star Peter Rowsthorn also star, alongside Duncan Fellows (Deadloch), Perry Mooney (Population: 11), Paul Tassone (Pokerface) and Kelton Pell (Redfern Now). The production, which is supported by Screenwest, is one of several to take advantage of State Government investment through the Western Australian Production Attraction Incentive. Oscar Redding and George Mason star in a new Binge series also currently filming in Fremantle. Credit: John Platt. It is expected to inject more than $5 million into the WA economy, creating 250 jobs for local screen practitioners, and up to 20 WA cast speaking roles. 'This production continues a strong pipeline of television series being produced in WA showcasing the amazing creative talent we have in our State,' Screenwest Chief Executive Officer Rikki Lea Bestall said. Also currently filming in and around Fremantle is the newly announced Binge series based on the life of notorious WA criminal Brenden Abbott, aka The Postcard Bandit. Both projects are filming simultaneously, with crews spotted earlier this week at the Fremantle Prison and at Leighton Beach.
West Australian
3 days ago
- West Australian
BBC TV series Reckless currently filming in Fremantle
Yet another TV series has commenced production in Fremantle, with confirmation Reckless, a BBC Studios Production for NITV and SBS, has begun filming in the port city. Leading the cast is WA's own Tasma Walton (The Twelve) who stars alongside AACTA Award-winner Hunter Page-Lochard (The Newsreader). They play feuding siblings forced to work together to get away with a hit-and-run accident that occurs in Fremantle. Reckless is an adaptation of the Scottish mystery thriller TV series Guilt, written by Neil Forsyth, which premiered on both BBC Two and BBC Scotland in 2019. It is being brought to Aussie screens by WA creative, EP and writer Kodie Bedford. 'From day one, I wanted to make a bold show with audacious characters that felt unapologetically Western Australian,' she said. 'I'm so bloody happy to be home telling this yarn with a team of creatives who have all shared the vision and taken it somewhere even wilder than I ever imagined.' Joining Walton and Lochard is a stacked cast, which includes Perth-raised stars, Jessica De Gouw (The Survivors), Steve Le Marquand (Mystery Road: Origin) and Clarence Ryan (Mystery Road: Origin). Jane Harber (Offspring), Tracy Mann (The Twelve), and WA-based Kath and Kim star Peter Rowsthorn also star, alongside Duncan Fellows (Deadloch), Perry Mooney (Population: 11), Paul Tassone (Pokerface) and Kelton Pell (Redfern Now). The production, which is supported by Screenwest, is one of several to take advantage of State Government investment through the Western Australian Production Attraction Incentive. It is expected to inject more than $5 million into the WA economy, creating 250 jobs for local screen practitioners, and up to 20 WA cast speaking roles. 'This production continues a strong pipeline of television series being produced in WA showcasing the amazing creative talent we have in our State,' Screenwest Chief Executive Officer Rikki Lea Bestall said. Also currently filming in and around Fremantle is the newly announced Binge series based on the life of notorious WA criminal Brenden Abbott, aka The Postcard Bandit. Both projects are filming simultaneously, with crews spotted earlier this week at the Fremantle Prison and at Leighton Beach.
