NSW SECTOR NATION'S PRODUCTION LEADER, SAYS ABS SURVEY

The eighth Film, Television and Digital Games Survey released on Friday, June 23 provides a detailed snapshot of how the Australian industry has changed since 2015/16. The survey, commissioned by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), shows the NSW screen industry has grown more in size and value than any other state in the past six years.

A sample of 1,252 businesses was selected for the ABS initiative, with each asked to provide data sourced primarily from financial statements via online questionnaires. Businesses were also asked to supply key details of their operations by state and territory, enabling production estimates, and selected measures of production activity, such as the number and type of productions and hours for which they were responsible. The period covered by the information collection was, in general, the 12 months ended 30 June 2022.

Head of Screen NSW, Kyas Hepworth (pictured, right) said the 2021/22 figures show NSW production, post-production and digital games businesses now employed about 15,600 people, up 60%, and contributed almost $3.5 billion to the state economy, more than double since the last survey.

“The results are further proof of the massive financial contribution our screen and content creation industry have on NSW, and improving the rich cultural life enjoyed across the state,” Ms Hepworth said. “This data gives us clear direction for where we need to offer greater support and will help guide all our program and funding decisions going forward.”

The survey found NSW is home to about 47% of Australia’s production businesses (2105 out of 4106 employers) with 13,200 staff, up from 8,200. NSW did not have it all the good news; state industry body Screen Queensland boasted a notable increase in employment of 2,885 people (226.8%) from the end of June 2016 to the end of June 2022, driven by an influx of international films (Aquaman; Ticket to Paradise; Godzilla vs. Kong; Elvis) and television (Young Rock; Joe vs Carole) to the state.

Almost half (49%) of Australia’s post-production facilities are in NSW (284 out of 575 businesses), employing 1755 out of 3405 people and contributing $308.5m to the state’s economy.

Screen NSW acknowledges work needs to be done in digital games despite an increase in the number of NSW developers from 13 to 32, or 17% of the nation’s 188 (an increase of less than 1%), although the state over-performs when it comes to income, contributing $136.1m (30% of the national total) to the NSW economy. The South Australian Film Corporation is actively seeking digital gaming entities, with the ground-breaking SA Video Game Development (VGD) Rebate enabling video games studios to claim a 10% rebate on costs incurred to develop game tech in the state.

The most significant financial challenge facing the industry is as indicated by the survey is rising production costs, which have increased by 104% over the period. Gender parity is still an issue within several sectors, with a refocusing on equality essential in the nation’s film and video production businesses (62.1% males, 37.9% females) and post-production facilities (67.5% males, 32.5% females).

The results come at a time when the Government has provided further pivotal support for the industry with two competitive screen production incentives – the newly legislated Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO) and the Government-announced, increased 30% Location Offset – providing a vital springboard from which to continue the growth of the entire screen ecosystem.

About the author: Simon Foster is a film industry freelance journalist with over 30 years experience in the Australasian sector. In addition to his role as Managing Editor of SCREEN-SPACE (founded 2012), he is the Festival Director of the SYDNEY SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL; co-host/producer of the SCREEN WATCHING podcast; and, film reviewer for the ABC-FM Statewide Drive and NINE MEDIA National Radio outlets. Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram