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Australia is to introduce laws requiring streaming platforms to invest a minimum amount of money in homegrown content, the government said on Tuesday.
Platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime and any other streamers with over one million subscribers will have to contribute at least 10% of their local expenditure, or 7.5% of revenue, on Australian content.
Legislation will be introduced to parliament this week and will apply to drama, documentaries, arts and educational programmes.
Arts minister Tony Burke and communications minister Anika Wells said the move would help to protect acting jobs. The streaming services have not yet commented.
“We have Australian content requirements on free-to-air television and pay television, but until now, there has been no guarantee that we could see our own stories on streaming services,” Burke said.
“Since their introduction in Australia, streaming services have created some extraordinary shows. This obligation will ensure that those stories – our stories – continue to be made.”
According to the Australian Broadcast Corporation, legislation will be introduced to Parliament this week.
The broadcaster said that the new content requirements were meant to be in place by July last year but concerns over how they would interact with a free trade agreement with the US led to the plans being put on hold.
The government cited difficulty engaging in negotiations with the US while it was holding an election.
After President Trump was elected, there was then concern about whether the rules might prompt the US administration to impose retaliatory tariffs against Australia.
Now, with the dust settled, and Trump championing his country’s friendship with Australia, those rules are now back on the table.
While the Australian Writers Guild (AWG) and Screen Producers Australia (SPA) welcomed the news, streamers have yet to comment.
Back in 2022, streamers Stan, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Paramount+ released their Streaming for Australia report, pointing out their cultural and economic contribution to the country’s creative economy.
However, it was seen by some as a pre-emptive strike against any attempt at future regulation.
Recent Australian shows on Netflix include Heartbreak High, Territory and Apple Cider Vinegar.
Like many countries, Australia’s creative industries have suffered in recent years, in part due to the production slump during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the financial year 2023-24, investment in feature films and television dramas made in Australia fell by nearly 30%, according to Screen Australia, the government’s funding body for the screen production industry.
