We are thrilled to share the following media release from the Premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk. Friday 4 May.

Film tax offset makes way for pipeline of block busters for Queensland

The Federal Government’s decision to finally lift the film industry location tax offset to 30 per cent will be a game changer for Queensland and the Gold Coast, paving the way for a pipeline of blockbuster movies and a permanent screen industry.

“I’m very pleased the Federal Government has finally come to the party to deliver the location tax offset increase I’ve been continually campaigning for since 2015,” the Premier said.

“Increasing the offset from 16.5 to 30 per cent finally makes Australia world-competitive when it comes to luring international movie-makers to film their blockbusters and there’s no better place than in Queensland.

“My government has backed the screen industry through $50 million in additional funding since 2015 which has resulted in back to back production in the State and will bring more than $530 million in direct new expenditure into Queensland.

“We’ve invested because we want to see a permanent film industry created here with permanent jobs for the thousands of talented local crew and production staff and to keep providing a boost to our economy.

“We know that attracting big productions to our state has economic spin offs for other industries and it also gives us the opportunity to create more local content.

“While we’ve been wooing some of the biggest movie makers with Queensland’s amazing production facilities, film locations and our attraction fund for years, the sticking point has been always been the reluctance of the Federal Government to put their money where their mouth is and match the tax offsets on offer from other countries.

“I always knew lifting the tax offset would be a game changer for the Queensland film industry, so it’s great to see the Federal Government finally jumping on board.”

The Premier said her government would keep up its campaign to lure a pipeline of the big name productions to Queensland, saying Screen Queensland had already been on the phone to studios in the United States overnight.

“The benefit these large scale productions bring to our state is enormous,” the Premier said.

“They bring jobs for Queenslanders – over 4800 employment opportunities for cast and crew have been created since 2015 as a result of my Government’s Production Attraction Strategy.

“They also bring direct expenditure to Queensland, which is money that would otherwise not be spent in Queensland.

“The productions also bring tourism opportunities for Queensland and the chance to showcase our beautiful State to national and international audience.”

Media contact: Michelle Wellington 0437 323 834