In the battle for relevance in the current Federal Election campaign, Australia’s creative economy, as usual, struggles to gain attention.

Our national identity is seemingly wrapped up in hi-vis vests and hard hats. You’d think Australian GDP was just made up of mines, dams and bitumen. Yet, around 645,000 Australians are employed in the cultural and creative industries – far more than in mining.

On the most recent figures, cultural and creative activity contributed around $115.2 billion to Australia’s economy, equivalent to 6.3 percent of GDP. Yet, nowhere in the competing Federal Election rhetoric around who’s got the best plan for the future Australian economy do our creative industries rate much of a mention.

Screen Producers Australia CEO, Matthew Deaner. Image supplied.

Screen Producers Australia CEO, Matthew Deaner. Image supplied

Under the banner of “Make it Australian”, Screen Producers Australia along with other industry partners have long been advocating for public policy settings that support a key part of the creative industries – screen – to meet Australian audience expectations and outline a plan for future growth and employment in the sector.

The Australian screen industry is incredibly successful and is characterised by a...