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

I move:

That the Senate take note of the explanation concerning the response to the order relating to Australian content quotas.

One of the main campaigns I have been running through the Jacqui Lambie Network is Make Australia Make Again. I've been doing that since I got into parliament. But a broken promise by this government has one of our industries on its knees—just another one—in your portfolio. I'm talking about our film and TV industry. You might want to listen to this before you go. When this government was elected, Minister Burke promised that he would bring in local content quotas on the streaming platforms Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ et cetera. Let me break it down for those Australians out there who might not know what I'm talking about. Content quotas mean that TV stations have to put our Aussie films and TV shows first. Before Australia had content quotas, it was mainly British and American shows on TV.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senators, in accordance with standing order 185, if you are not participating in this debate, you are not allowed to stand in sections of the chamber and hold conversations. Please leave or resume your seats in silence.

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to 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.

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

I rise to take note of this pathetic explanation as well, and I thank Senator Lambie for putting forward this request for information and for her passion in relation to this issue. Before the last election, we were promised that the Labor Party would do everything they could to make sure Australian stories were protected on our screens. We were promised that we would have quotas in place on these online streaming services so that Australians can watch Australian-made content, so that Australian kids can log on and see Australian-made shows and so that parents know, when they put their kids in front of a device—when their kids are nagging for the iPad, Netflix or the app to watch their favourite show—they can put their kids in front of something that has an Australian accent. Over and over and over again, our screen industry has been dudded by this government.

First of all, it happened under the previous government. They did nothing to help the Australian screen industry. Many small businesses right around the country—who employ hundreds of thousands of people and put hundreds of millions of dollars into our local communities—are now being screwed over by the big global tech companies who are flooding our devices, our screens and our airways with overseas content. This content is often made very cheaply—cheap and nasty—at the expense of Australian stories.

A big part of what makes us a great country is that we share our experiences with one another. We celebrate what's great about our nation. We celebrate our differences, which helps us to understand each other. It helps with social cohesion. It helps with national pride. It helps with overcoming crises and difficulties. Storytelling is the glue that makes this country great. Storytelling is the glue that allows us, as a community, to understand each other, to back each other, to be proud of being Australian, to be proud of who we are as a nation and to be proud of our diversity and unity. But that storytelling power cannot be taken for granted. Our storytellers, our creative workers and our artists need to be supported. It's not just good for the economy; it's good for the soul of our nation.

When the big US tech companies like Netflix and Amazon want to flood our airways and devices with American content at the expense of Australian-made stories, we should be really worried. The government promised to do what needed to be done to regulate streaming services to make sure Australian content would be looked after, supported and funded. Because the big tech companies didn't like it, they've now backed away. This is a broken promise from the Labor government on the eve of the election—a well and truly broken promise. I have had many conversations with ministers in both these houses about this issue over the last three years. Increasingly, I have become concerned that, rather than doing what they promised to do, they are back-pedalling and bowing to the pressure of the big US tech companies. Netflix doesn't want this. Amazon doesn't want this. Apple TV doesn't want this.

It is now the eve of the election. These might be the very last couple of hours we have in this place before the election, and we have nothing to show from the government on this issue. It's disgusting. Don't make promises you can't keep. Don't make promises you can't keep, and stand up for Australian stories, because Australians will punish you if you don't. (Time expired)

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I recite my ABCs, I end with 'X, Y, Zed'. The reason for that is that I'm a Play School girl, not a Sesame Street girl. Play School is Australian content. We want to see more Australian content, and this government promised us Australian content. But, like so on many issues, this government is quite happy to break their promises. We've seen it on superannuation, we've seen it on stage 3 tax cuts and now we see it on what they were so staunch and so proud about. In the arts sector, they've broken their promise to deliver Australian content quotas for streaming platforms.

This promise was made in light of that, when we were in government, Paul Fletcher, the former Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, worked with industry and proposed a way forward to develop a content quota regime. We had a change of government. Prior to the change of government the former shadow minister, Tony Burke—at Woodford Folk Festival no less—promised in the summer of 2022 that, if they were elected to government, they would deliver content quotas for streaming platforms.

Maybe he thought they wouldn't win; you don't have to worry about a promise made in opposition because you'll never have to deliver. But win they did, so he committed to deliver it and then put a deadline on it. He said that they would have content quotas in place by 1 July 2024. In May 2024, an options paper was released, and they were investigating content quotas on revenue or content quotas on expenditure. They were at least making some progress—while making everyone participating in the consultation sign non-disclosure agreements. Again I'm standing here highlighting the lack of transparency of this government and its reliance on non-disclosure agreements.

What have we heard since May 2024? We heard, at the Senate estimates at that time, that the department was still working on the scheme to inform cabinet decisions. Since then, nada. We've heard rumours that the hold-up is now because it's a trade issue, but we've heard nothing. There hasn't been an exposure draft; 1 July came and went, and we are still waiting. The screen production industry in Australia is still waiting.

Even worse, what we are also seeing is a continuation of the failure to deliver on their promises. In the May budget last year, we saw a promise that the government would lift the cap on above-the-line costs for the producer offset to apply from 1 July 2024. Has the required legislation that needs to pass actually come through this place? Has it even come through the other place to ensure that can happen? No. It is nine months later; I could have had a baby in that amount of time!

Then, in MYEFO, there was a promise to lower the offset threshold, which would benefit some of our smaller screen industry businesses. Yet, again, where is the legislation to enable that? Time after time, this government is failing the Australian screen industry—the very industry that gave me my 0.2 seconds of fame when I appeared in the background of the Australian movie Two Hands. This government is turning its back on the Australian screen industry—unlike the Nationals, who, with Bryan Brown, were able to secure the 40 per cent— (Time expired)

Question agreed to.