Screen Australia

Screen Australia administers the Producer Offset tax rebate and Australia’s Official Co-production program.
Ausfilm Member since 2009

It is the lead Australian Government agency charged with supporting Australian screen content through development, production and promotion.

Screen Australia develops Australian voices by funding creative teams to progress their ideas and scripts. It provides production finance for features films, documentaries, TV drama, children’s content and online series.

Screen Australia can also help stories find their audience with marketing and promotion support. Additionally, the agency provides authoritative and relevant data and research to both the industry and government.

Contact

MICHELE MCDONALD

Senior Manager of Producer Offset and Co-production Unit
[email protected]

For Producer Offset and Co-production enquiries ONLY:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +61 2 8113 1042

www.screenaustralia.gov.au
+61 2 8113 5800

Read More

THE PRODUCER OFFSET

The Producer Offset is a refundable tax offset (rebate) for Australian films. To be regarded as an Australian film, the project must demonstrate that it contains Significant Australian Content (SAC) or be an Official Co-production.

The Producer Offset is paid after a project is completed and Screen Australia has issued the production company with a Final Certificate. Payment is made from the Australian Taxation Office

The amount of the Offset is determined as a percentage of the Qualifying Australian Production Expenditure (QAPE). It is:
– 40 per cent of QAPE incurred on theatrical feature films; and
– 30 per cent of QAPE incurred on other eligible formats (for example, series or single episode programs made for TV, SVOD or online, documentary series and short-form animations).

Broadly speaking, QAPE is expenditure incurred on goods and services provided in Australia for the making of the film.

ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible for the Producer Offset, a film or program must:
– be completed
– have Significant Australian Content (SAC) or be an Official Co-production
– be an eligible format
– have QAPE that meets or exceeds the relevant threshold
– be made by an applicant company which is an Australian company, or a foreign company with an Australian permanent residency and an Australian Business Number (ABN).

SIGNIFICANT AUSTRALIAN CONTENT (SAC):
Screen Australia determines whether a film has SAC based on published guidelines which have regard to:
– the subject matter of the film
– the place where the film was made
– the nationalities and places of residence of the people who took part in making it
– the details of production expenditure incurred, and
– any other matters that Screen Australia considers to be relevant, including the extent to which Australian producers and key creatives have a share in the copyright, profit and recoupment for the film.

OFFICIAL CO-PRODUCTIONS:
Official Co-productions do not need to meet the SAC test to access the Producer Offset.

Australia currently has treaties in force with Canada, China, Germany, Korea, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Memoranda of Understandings with France and New Zealand.

These agreements set out the parameters for how two or more co-producers can make an eligible co-production, including the minimum financial and creative contributions. These agreements and the Screen Australia co-production guidelines are available on the Screen Australia website.

 

HOW DO I APPLY

For Producer Offset and Co-production enquiries ONLY:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +61 2 8113 1042

For all other enquiries, contact:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +61 2 8113 5800

Credits

Projects which have publicly acknowledged The Producer Offset

  • Peter Rabbit
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Mad Max: Fury Road

Projects which have benefitted from Australia’s Official Co-production Program

  • The Power of the Dog (United Kingdom)
  • Dirt Music (United Kingdom)
  • Animals (Ireland)
  • The Australian Dream (United Kingdom)