Australia's film industry has seen a significant boost in recent years, thanks to a robust system of federal and state location incentives. These incentives have made Australia an increasingly attractive destination for both local and international productions.
Federal Location Incentives
The cornerstone of Australia's federal incentives is the Location Offset, which has recently been increased to 30% from 16.5%. This change, effective from July 1, 2023, applies to large-budget film and television projects shot in Australia. To qualify, productions must have budgets of at least AU$20 million for features or AU$1.5 million per hour for TV series.
The Location Offset aims to attract international productions to Australian shores, bringing job opportunities and economic benefits. It has already proven successful, with international spend on drama production and post-production reaching a record-breaking AU$1.22 billion in 2023.
State Location Incentives
In addition to federal incentives, Australian states and territories offer their own incentives to attract productions:
New South Wales
NSW offers the Made in NSW Fund, which provides AU$175 million over five years (2020-2025) for international productions. The state also offers a Regional Filming Fund to support local productions filming in regional NSW.
Queensland
Screen Queensland provides a Production Attraction Incentive for productions with a minimum spend of AU$3.5 million within the state. They also offer a State Payroll Tax Rebate for productions that have paid the 4.75% Queensland Payroll Tax.
South Australia
The South Australian Film Corporation offers a 10% rebate on South Australian production spend. They also provide a payroll tax exemption which may reduce a project's total payroll liability by up to 4.95%.
Types of Location Incentives
Location incentives in Australia come in various forms:
1. Regional incentives: Many states offer specific incentives for filming in regional areas. For example, NSW's Regional Filming Fund supports productions filming on location in regional NSW for a minimum of five shooting days.
2. Metro incentives: Major cities often have their own incentives. For instance, the Gold Coast Film Commission offers an additional incentive to productions that spend a minimum of AU$750,000 in the region.
3. Other incentives: These can include payroll tax exemptions, fee waivers for state-owned locations, and support for location scouting. Queensland, for example, offers physical production liaison and advice on local crew recruitment.
Combining Federal and State Incentives
One of the most attractive aspects of Australia's incentive system is that state incentives can often be combined with federal ones. This allows productions to maximise their benefits. For instance, the federal Location Offset can be combined with state and territory government incentives. Similarly, state government PDV incentives can be combined with the Federal Government's 30% PDV Offset.
This combination of federal and state incentives creates a highly competitive environment for film production in Australia. It not only attracts international productions but also supports the growth of the local film industry, fostering talent and contributing to Australia's cultural landscape.
As of February 2025, these incentives continue to make Australia an increasingly attractive destination for filmmakers from around the world, promising a bright future for the country's screen industry.
You will need to visit each funding agencies website to learn more specific details, you can find them, and more on our Grants and Opportunities page.