Producer Offset and Co-production News

16 September 2009

Keeping you up-to-date with new developments, new resources, information and advice on Australia's Producer Offset incentive.

If you don't wish to receive future bulletins, please send an email to produceroffsetenquiries@screenaustralia.gov.au with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field.

NEW SAC GUIDANCE

An updated version of Guidance on Significant Australian Content is now available on the Screen Australia website. We don't consider that the amendments represent substantial change to the document but you can check it out here.

NEW FINAL QAPE SPREADSHEET

A new final QAPE spreadsheet is also available. This spreadsheet, which is an integral part of an application for a Final Certificate for the Producer Offset, enables applicants to calculate their claimed QAPE.

The new version has been designed to simplify the application process for both the applicant and Screen Australia.

It also clarifies how to report expenditure in a foreign currency, which we acknowledge has been an issue for some applicants.

Broadly, the changes are:

• The document now consists of 11 separate worksheets.
  

• The columns on the previous spreadsheet that dealt with 'prior production company expenditure', 'payments to associated parties', 'expenditure by the applicant as a foreign resident' and 'date of foreign expenditure inc. development' are now dealt with on separate worksheets.  Of these, most productions will only need to complete the 'payments to associated parties' sheet.
  

• The Producer Offset is GST-inclusive and all GST must be tracked.  The document now contains a 'GST calculator' which is linked to the QAPE spreadsheet.  This will allow you to report QAPE and non-QAPE GST more efficiently.
  

• The document now contains a worksheet outlining how to report expenditure in a foreign currency, both for the purposes of meeting the QAPE threshold and for the purposes of calculating QAPE. The QAPE spreadsheet now also allows for foreign currency adjustments to be included in the final QAPE calculations. 
  

• The document contains several worksheets to provide guidance on how to calculate QAPE / non-QAPE for travel costs to and from Australia, travel costs incurred overseas and expenditure incurred on both Australian and 'non-Australian' residents who work both in Australia and outside Australia on the one project.

To ensure you are using the most up to date application forms we recommend you download a new form from the Screen Australia website www.screenaustralia.gov.au/producer_offset each time you are completing an application.

SCREEN AUSTRALIA PRODUCER OFFSET UNIT

The Producer Offset Unit is:

• Alex Sangston - Senior Manager

• Michele McDonald - Program Manager

• Susan Wells and Colleen Champ - Senior Assessment Officers

• Kym Stewart - Producer Offset Unit Coordinator

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