Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to contribute to the debate on the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 5) Bill 2021, a piece of legislation that makes changes to Australia's screen sector and our film industry, changes that have been long debated. It's a piece of legislation that, despite having been flagged more than 12 months ago, is still far from perfect. In fact it desperately needs fixing.

The debate over how we support Australian stories in this country has been long fought. How much time do we give Australian stories on our own television screens? How much do we fund and support those producing and making Australian stories to ensure we have a true representation of what we tell ourselves, what we tell the rest of the world and how we reflect on our own history?

Storytelling is such an important part of who we are as a community and as a society. The history of storytelling has been around for tens of thousands of years. Today we're debating a piece of legislation that is so important to making sure that here in Australia we can continue to tell our stories, to help us understand who we are, to help us reflect on the things we value, to help us understand how others see us. It's part of soft diplomacy. It's part of education. It's part of fostering social cohesion and wellbeing. Storytelling helps us be more empathetic both as individuals and as a community. It helps us deal with division and difficult issues.

Storytelling is important for making sure we understand our history and the debates over our history. If it wasn't for storytelling and the Australian screen sector, many Australians would have no idea of the history well before white settlement; no idea of the struggles, the richness of culture and the history of our First Nations people. If it wasn't for our Australian screen sector, many of the stories that have been covered over the years would never have been told to an audience that needed to hear them.

As a mum, I've always been incredibly passionate about making sure that we have Australian children's programming so that our kids can access a window into how they see the world and see themselves reflected in what they see on screen to help them make sense of who they are and where we all fit. But, time after time after time, those who passionately tell these stories, make these stories and produce these stories have been under attack by government policy. They haven't been prioritised and nurtured the way they should.

We've seen changes in the last year that attack the number of Australian stories on our television screens by changes to the quotas and subquotas—regulations that say a certain amount of content on our TV screens and on our streaming services should be Australian, Australian made. This is so we're not just being bombarded with stories from overseas and our children are not just being bombarded with shows straight out of the United States, which bear little resemblance to what growing up in Australia is like for Aussie kids.

I came to politics with a desperation for social change. I think most of us in this place are here because we want to make the world better, our community better. We want to do the best we can to help improve our communities, and one of the best ways of achieving social change—that is, of course, changing hearts and minds and bringing people along with you—is by telling stories. Our Australian screen sector is needed if we are to progress and be better as an Australian society, particularly for those of us wanting to see social change in some of the areas that have been the most difficult to discuss.

If it wasn't for storytelling, we wouldn't have the truth about our First Nations history. If it wasn't for storytelling on our television screens and through our films, we wouldn't have progressed marriage equality in this country in the way that we have. If it wasn't for the power of storytelling, we wouldn't know about the horrors and histories in relation to the stolen generation. If it wasn't for the power of storytelling, we wouldn't know about the fights that women—not just in Australia but around the world—have taken up to achieve equality.

This bill makes it more difficult for the people who tell these powerful stories to keep doing it. There is a good part of this piece of legislation—that, of course, is the increase to the producer offset for television, something that has been long and hard fought for, and has finally been put on the table. But this legislation is riddled with whack after whack to a sector that needs nurturing and support because it is in and of itself a public good. It's essential to being a respectful and empathetic society that we're able to tell our own stories.

A number of the elements of this piece of legislation dismantle the important work of documentary-makers in this country. The history of documentaries in Australia is essential, and it is a powerful part of recording our history—tackling those difficult issues and dealing with things that have perhaps been too divisive to discuss. Documentary-making is an important part of public interest journalism in this country. But the changes in this piece of legislation will make it harder for documentary-makers to do their job. It'll make it harder for documentaries to be made about issues that perhaps aren't already being ventilated, because, unless you're going to spend $1 million making your documentary, you're not going to be able to access this support. That means that, under these laws, so many documentaries in Australia just wouldn't have been made.

There are the changes to the Gallipoli clause, which is about allowing footage filmed overseas that is part of an Australian film to be counted as part of the producer offset. That doesn't make any sense. We are part of the world. Australia isn't its own isolated unit, separate from everyone else. Our stories connect us to the rest of the world and so should our films, in the way we reflect Australia's position in the world. Cutting the Gallipoli clause will only make Australia more isolated. Art, creative work and storytelling in this way is such an important part of soft diplomacy, and it is so often underestimated in the conversations and debates that we hear from politicians and those represented in, particularly at this point, some of the highly contested discussions about Australia's role in our region right now—our relationship with China, the Pacific and the United States. Being able to use soft diplomacy and the power of storytelling is essential if we are to de-escalate conflict and find pathways towards agreement with our neighbours. It's far too often dismissed.

I'm not sure if I've ever heard Mr Peter Dutton, while he stands on his soapbox speaking about the conflict with China, ever talk about embracing the power of our creative workers or the power of storytelling and the role soft diplomacy can play. He seems all too busy looking to thump his fist and pull the trigger. This is the problem with the government's approach to this issue and to the arts industry across the board. They have been attacked time and time again. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the arts sector harder than any other industry, whether it's live performance or on screen, and, rather than stepping in to support our artists, we have another piece of legislation bowled up today to the Senate which will dismantle the good work they do.

This is why the Australian Greens will be supporting the opposition's amendments before the chamber. These are amendments that we too had flagged. They're important changes to fix this piece of legislation and to send a message to those who dedicate their life to telling our stories as Australians, the diversity of our stories as Australians, and to let them know, 'We have your back'. The parliament and those of us who are here making policy day in, day out, we have your back. We know what you do is important. It's not some luxury lifestyle, some vocation that doesn't contribute as some on the other side would have you believe.

Being an artist is a real job. Being a filmmaker is an important job. Producing Australian stories that we can tell ourselves to help us understand and be more empathetic about our differences—that is essential. And we will fight to improve this piece of legislation, because we have your back. I don't know what's going to happen with these amendments. I hope the crossbench see the value in supporting not just the tens of thousands of jobs that are on the line—by the way, if this government gets its way and these changes happen, that will cost jobs. This is the government that says it stands for the economy. Well, this industry is an essential part of Australia's creative economy and they need to stop being used as Scott Morrison's plaything.

Artists and creative workers in this country are sick of being kicked time and time and time again. The contribution that artists make to our society, our community, our public debate is so essential. We value it. We will fight for it. And we will try to fix this legislation so that you don't have to keep begging and scrimping every single day. I applaud the proposed changes and commend them to other members in this place.