A mendicant model threatens to hold back the Australian screen industry, says SPA boss

Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner has told a room of film industry execs that the government’s bureaucrats wield much more power over the industry than they realise.

Deaner compared the Australian screen industry’s relationship to the government with that of sport’s, admitting “our industry’s relationship with government is more complicated.”

“Bureaucrats often wield more power over our industry than they realise,” he told the audience at the Screen Forever conference today. “A resentful, mendicant model is emerging where applicants must jump through more and more hoops to get access to government support.