Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Hansard source

Our free-to-air broadcasters—Channel Nine, Channel 10 et cetera—already have these quotas, but there are no local content quotas on streaming platforms. The big boys have got these guys by their gonads. My office was assured by the minister's office that these Aussie content quotas would be in place by 1 July last year at the latest. But guess what. There are still no local content quotas in place. It's just another broken promise from the Labor Party.

The streamers have been lobbying the government hard. I thought it would be interesting to see how deep this lobbying went, so I put in some freedom-of-information requests for the people out there. Guess what I got back, Senator Duniam, through the Acting Deputy President? This is on quotas! This is their transparency! This is their promise to the Australian people at the last election! There is nothing! How embarrassing. Getting more Australian content on our screen and getting more Australian producers jobs isn't in the public interest, apparently, according to the Labor Party. You have to be kidding me.

Then I asked for a production of documents, and the only thing I got out of it was that the US ambassador lobbied heavily to the minister on behalf of Netflix—on behalf of her United States people—and said 'Bugger you, Australian people!' The US clearly think it's in their best interests, but you people over there don't think it's in our best interests. I tell you what: they're also using our NBN, something Australian taxpayers have forked out 50 billion bucks to build. You keep bending over for the US, don't you? How's that going with you and Trump? How's that bending over going?

The streamers try to run the line that content quotas will create a problem with free trade—another load of rubbish you told Australians. In Europe and in Canada, they put local content quotas on streaming platforms, and guess what. Netflix is still there. They didn't leave. The world is still going around. When their free-trade agreement fell apart, they started crying poor. Aw! According to the Australian Financial Review, Australians spend 3.5 billion bucks on streaming subscriptions, but we're getting nothing back for our own screen stories.

Meanwhile, the Australian TV and film industry are on their knees. You are running them out of this country, because you want all our kids to be walking around speaking with an American accent. Wow! We've got enough problems with those young kids. Now we're going to be speaking to them in our own households with an American accent, because you are stopping our own people from having a fair go.

Everybody benefits from this industry, and we need to be able to tell our own stories. Think about it this way: if your kids want to make films and TV shows about Australia, about life for them growing up and about our history, imagine if they came home and said, 'There aren't any Australian companies, Mum; I can't make film and TV here.' That is what is going on with this generation.

The government says a future made in Australia is absolutely vital, and I agree with you—no argument from me. That's why I want Australia to make again, and that should include our TV show- and filmmakers—you know, the ones that you've put on their hands and knees; the ones that you promised to help. You have failed to do that. It's just another failure from your last election. God, you want the Australian people to vote for you!

If we didn't have rules about local Australian content, our kids would be growing up, like I said, with American accents. There'd be no Bluey, no Kath & Kim, no Mad Max and no Crocodile Dundee. Most of our big Aussie stars got their start on TV here. You big Aussie stars out there, don't forget where you got your start. Any time you want to put your head above water and start yelling out for these quotas, that would be helpful. Have you forgotten where you started? You're happy to come up here and take pickies with pollies and make yourselves look good, but you aren't getting behind your own industry and it is shocking. Like I said, it's just another broken promise. It's another bit of transparency that you promised, and it's all blank. You honestly should be ashamed of yourselves.