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ABC News
04-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
WA screen industry workers call on government to enforce 'buy local' policy
Tourism WA is working on the next phase of its push to sell the state as a premium holiday destination, but an east coast-based director and production company will be used for part of the work. Mark Braddock, a board member of IN:WA, which represents 40 creative production companies in the state, says it is always frustrating when local firms miss out on state government work. "For us, it's all about keeping taxpayers' money in the state and building out a production ecosystem that allows the state to service the government's policy commitments through Diversify WA and their buy local policy, and the investment they're making in Creative WA strategy," he said. Mr Braddock said the government was making a big investment in new film studios in Malaga, but private commercial work such as government ad campaigns was vital to sustain the local workforce. "At the moment, our local production companies are really struggling," he said. "[WA government agencies] are the biggest client for us in the state. A state government spokesperson said local company The Brand Agency had been chosen to lead the development and production of the Tourism WA campaign. The firm assessed more than 50 suppliers, including ones from WA, for their experience and ability to deliver value for money for the taxpayer-funded campaign. "Unfortunately, while a local production company and director were shortlisted, the cost identified was prohibitively higher than the chosen option," the spokesperson told ABC Radio Perth. But Premier Roger Cook acknowledged the screen industry's concerns and said he was disappointed a local production company was not selected. "We know that in WA we've got some great production crews and I'm sure that work could have been undertaken in Western Australia," he said. "I can't see a need to export that sort of work." Mr Cook's support was welcomed by Perth-based camera assistant Arthur Bienkowski, who has worked as a camera assistant for 15 years. Mr Bienkowski said he had regularly seen WA workers miss out and that he would like to see the state government's "buy local" policy more strictly enforced. "There are good productions where they do engage locals and they try their hardest to support the local industry," he said. "And it's cost-effective for them to do so — historically, our rates are actually a lot lower than on the east coast, and yet our proficiency is quite high. "Then there's others where they maybe take the easy route and employ someone they know and work with all the time rather than taking a risk on someone they don't from here. Mr Bienkowski recently finished work on a Bruce Beresford film called The Travellers that was shot entirely in Western Australia and said the feedback for the local production workers was positive. "They used as many locals as they possibly could," he said. "Towards the end of the shoot Bruce Beresford and his longtime cinematographer Peter James, who was my direct boss on that job, said that the local crew were as good as any crew they've ever worked with, and they used the words 'world class.'" Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance representative John Fairhead said the union had been advocating for more stringent employment requirements on government projects for years. "Historically the TVC [television commercial] sector is what has kept us going," he said. "TVCs support freelancers in between long-form productions." Mr Bienkowski said working on TV commercials also supported the professional development of film crews, which would be needed for the expected expansion of the sector. Perth Film Studios, which have been financed by the state government at a cost of more than $200 million, are expected to open at Malaga next year and create hundreds of jobs. "It's a no-brainer if you're the state government — [TV ad campaigns] should be going back into the industry here," Mr Bienkowski said. The Brand Agency declined a request to comment.
ABC News
03-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
'Walking on a Dream' ad campaign spruiking WA tourism outsourced to east-coast company
A taxpayer-funded ad campaign spruiking Western Australia to tourists is being led by an east-coast production company, in a move the premier has called 'disappointing" and urged the decision to be reconsidered. Tourism WA is working on the next phase of its 'Walking On A Dream' campaign, which hopes to sell the state as a "premium holiday destination" to travellers across Australia and the world. A state government spokesperson said while local company The Brand Agency had been chosen to "lead development and production" for the next stage of the campaign, an east coast-based director and production company would be used for part of the work. The spokesperson said the agency assessed more than 50 suppliers, including ones from WA, for their experience, timeframes and ability to "deliver value for money" for the taxpayer-funded campaign. "Unfortunately, while a local production company and director were shortlisted, the cost identified was prohibitively higher than the chosen option," the spokesperson told ABC Radio Perth. They explained the shoot will use at least 70 per cent West Australian crew members and showcase a number of WA tourism operators. Premier Roger Cook said it was a "pretty disappointing" result. "We know that in WA we've got some great production crews and I'm sure that work could have been undertaken in Western Australia," he said. "I would just invite them [The Brand Agency] to reflect on the fact WA has great production, great people working in the creative industries. Deputy Liberal leader Libby Mettam said the government needed to listen to its own 'Made in WA' message — a tagline it is using to sell efforts to diversify the state's economy. "Western Australians have the expertise and the know-how and capability to deliver this campaign and it's extraordinary hypocrisy that the Cook Labor government are not employing our own experts to deliver this campaign," she said. The premier responded: "We want Made in WA to be a reality." "It would've been good if they could've just made sure that they were part of that," he said of The Brand Agency. In budget estimates, Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk had said the government was "proud of the work" it had been doing to grow the local screen industry. "Both building the new studios which are expected to be completed by early next year, but also making sure that we do everything we can so that West Australian talent is fostered," she said. Ms McGurk highlighted a $5 million targeted industry capacity-building program, to address "urgent small infrastructure and capacity needs" of WA businesses, and incentives offered to productions which spend a minimum amount in WA. "While there won't be a mandated component for local content, actually making sure that there are opportunities for West Australians and West Australian companies is very much at the core of the screen industry strategy," she said. The Brand Agency has been contacted for comment.
