SPAA supports Taboo offset appeal

The Screen Producers Association of Australia will support Beyond Productions’ decision to appeal the Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision on the “non-Australianness” of the documentary Taboo.

“SPAA is concerned that inconsistencies have emerged in the administration of the Producer Offset that allow feature films with no discernable local screen references to qualify for the Producer Offset while documentary and factual TV programs are denied the same treatment. The industry is looking for consistency and transparency,” said SPAA executive director Geoff Brown.

Screen Australia rejected Beyond’s application for the producer offset, arguing it didn’t meet the criteria of the Significant Australian Content test and the fact that the series, in its fifth season, was not a new creative concept.
Beyond then appealed the decision, but the Administrative Appeals Tribunal supported the federal agency’s original decision.
“While series four and five were produced largely by Australian personnel, and we note that the behind the scenes work on series four and five – the research, writing, production, filming, editing etc – was undertaken principally by Australians, we did not detect anything characteristically Australian about these series and we doubt that the ordinary person viewing series 4 and 5 would have noticed anything different from series one,” said the ATT in a statement.

Beyond will appeal the ATT decision to the Federal Court.