I rise to make a statement on Film Victoria’s annual report for 2007-08. It is
obvious that film is an important medium, a medium that is accessible to all,
regardless of one’s socioeconomic background. Film provides entertainment,
information and pushes the boundaries of our imagination. It is a great vehicle
for phenomenal acting, but it requires a whole range of skills which lead to
filmmaking. I would argue that film and the telephone were two of the
forerunners in terms of international connectivity. Film widens our
understanding of the world as well as deepens our sense of ourselves. The film
industry has an extraordinary workforce and talented people have space to
nurture their talents and interact with others in the industry. Film Victoria is
part and parcel of that very space.
The role of Film Victoria in the Victorian film and television
multimedia industry is to encourage innovation, to create new projects of high
quality that are of economic and cultural benefit to this state and to play a
role of strategic leadership and assistance to the industry. This role is
fulfilled in a number of ways, including providing financial assistance to the
industry, developing strategic plans for the development of the industry,
promoting the use of locations or services in Victoria for any industry
production — and I will come back to that a bit later — and advising the state
government on matters relating to the industry in Victoria.
Having read the very thorough and comprehensive report for
2007-08, it is clear to me that Film Victoria is achieving this role, which is
set out in the Film Act 2001. During the reporting period the film and
television multimedia industry spent $262 million on productions, which is an 80
per cent increase on the previous year’s reporting period. What a fantastic
outcome!
It has resulted in 7862 full-time employment opportunities
which have been created in the industry, with 78 per cent of this employment
leveraged from Film Victoria’s funding support.
A specific example of this support is the miniseries entitled
The Pacific, which was released in the United States and Australia. It was
filmed right here in Victoria. In fact parts of that series were filmed in my
electorate of Western Victoria Region — at Sandy Creek Road just outside
Geelong and in the You Yangs near Lara. The Pacific is the largest miniseries
ever made and has generated approximately $180 million for the Victorian
economy.
This type of production is an incredible opportunity for the
rest of the world to see Victoria’s talent, beauty and state-of-the-art
facilities.
It is productions such as The Pacific and international movies
such as Knowing, which stars Nicholas Cage and part of which was filmed in the
You Yangs and on the new Geelong Ring Road, which have resulted in a record
reporting period for the industry.
It is also important to note that in 2005 Film Victoria
launched what is known as Location Victoria, our provincial film strategy. The
strategy was developed to assist local councils in provincial Victoria in
attracting film and television productions to their cities and towns. Seven
websites have been created under this strategy, with the final four being
launched in the 2007-08 reporting period. Since this strategy has commenced
local council’s have reported a healthy increase in the numbers of local and
international visitors to the websites and an increase in film inquiries. To
complement this, the Regional Victoria Film Location Assistance Fund will
provide for filming projects to offset such costs as accommodation, living
overheads and travel.
In the 2007-08 reporting period production supported by the
RLAF spent $3.9 million in provincial Victoria, which generated a $7 million
economic benefit to the state.
Apart from the excellent results achieved during this reporting
period, it also marked the first year of the new three-year corporate plan,
which outlines how Film Victoria will strategically support Victoria’s film,
television and digital media industry. The Brumby Labor government is committed
to the industry, which is shown by an $11 million funding commitment over three
years to stimulate the industry’s production and development.
I congratulate everyone involved in Film Victoria. It was a
pleasure to read this report.
The ACTING PRESIDENT (Mr Leane) — Order! The member’s time has
expired.