Disappointed that Labor didn’t take up loan fund: Ginnane
The Screen Producers Association of Australia presented its initiative for a $60m, five-year loan fund for mid-range production simultaneously to both parties, but only the Coalition responded to it.
“We’re disappointed that Labor didn’t see the fund as something appropriate to take up in the run up to the election, but we’re terribly happy that the Liberals have embraced this policy.” said SPAA president Anthony I. Ginnane.
“We’ve always felt that support for the industry has been historically bi-partisan in Australia, so we presented it to both the Labor Government and the Liberal opposition at virtually the same time; we had significant discussions with the relevant Ministers and their departments. We’re pleased that Shadow Arts Minister Steven Ciobo and the Liberal party have taken up this initiative,” he explained.
The president of SPAA said that “it’s hard to say” if the Coalition’s announcement of this fund – which would match dollar-for-dollar the financial commitments made by distributors on projects budgeted at $7-30m, with loans ranging from $2-10m – as part of its arts policy would influence the screen industry’s vote next Saturday.
