Proposed US film tariffs ‘a worry’ for Australian movie industry says Russel Howcroft

The Australian movie industry could be facing one worrying issue.

Speaking on the AdMission podcast this week, radio host and advertising expert Russel Howcroft has raised concerns about Donald Trump’s proposed film tariffs.

“If you take away the American money, then it is going to be really tough.”

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Donald Trump has publicly declared his intention to impose 100 per cent tariffs on films produced outside the United States, citing a “National Security threat” and the decline of the American film industry.

“It is a worry,” Howcroft said.

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“It is potentially an issue if we believe that Australian storytelling matters.”

Howcroft said Australia’s reputation as a diverse and desirable film location could be on the line.

“You can literally be in Paris and also in Rio de Janeiro, and all you need to do is come to Victoria,” he said.

“More importantly the skills of our crews. Our crews are known around the world for being utterly brilliant at what they do.”

Howcroft said it’s up to the Australian Government to act if the tariffs on foreign filmmaking come into effect.

“You pull a lever if you’re the Treasurer in order to allow people to invest…People invest and great films get made” he suggested.

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“The ABC has got to play a huge role here, the ABC has a billion dollar budget every year. So you would want as much as that to go into production,” he said.

Howcroft also pointed to American streaming giant Netflix, which has a significant Australian audience but offers limited Australian content.

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“What they ought to do in Canberra is what the French do, and the French insist that Netflix has, on the Netflix platform in France, French product,” he said.

Russel Howcroft is the co-host of 3AW’s Breakfast program and the AdMission Podcast. New episodes of AdMission are available every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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