|
Date: Friday, 07 November, 2003
Relayed by: John Caldecott <caldecott@ozemail.com.au>
Subject: Australian cultural
diversity under threat -- Update on AUSFTA
From: Australian Society of
Authors - Membership Secretary <ali@asauthors.org>
Australian cultural diversity under threat
THE HEIGHTS OF HYPOCRISY
As we informed ASA members last week, the US is pressuring
Australia to trade away our ability to regulate our cultural industries
in the future. They are asking our Government to agree to terms in the Australia-US
Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) that would mean no future
Australian government could introduce content quotas or other measures
to foster and support Australian content in any new media. And to top
it off, none of Australia's support measures currently in place could
ever be increased.
All this in the name of promoting a so-called open, unregulated,
unfettered market.
Now, news has arrived that at the very time that American negotiators
were pressuring their Australian counterparts here in Canberra to trade
away our cultural future (and at the same time that the Australian
Prime Minister was giving the US hopes of success), the US Congress was
passing laws that amount to a $US597 million ($AUD 850 million) subsidy
to US film-makers and TV producers. Congress did this by re-defining
film-makers as 'manufacturers' and giving them access to tax breaks.
The new support was introduced to try to stem 'runaway productions' -
productions that move off-shore to places like Australia because costs
are so much cheaper here than in the US.
Part of the impetus for these new laws was the World Trade
Organisation's finding that a previous $US5 billion annual tax break
for US exporters amounted to an illegal subsidy. The United States
faced $US4 billion in sanctions if that previous tax break was not been
repealed (but they decided that their cultural producers were too
important to abandon).
So much for unfettered free trade principles!
The ASA does not criticise the US Congress for its actions - these new
laws were introduced in the spirit of saving jobs and investments for
American cultural producers and in reaction to pressures from the WTO.
Our point is that all we are asking for is the same consideration. We
merely want future Australian governments to have the same ability to
respond to the changing demands of new technologies and have the
flexibility to introduce appropriate measures to ensure Australian
culture remains available to as many Australians as possible, on all
broadcast media, for as long as necessary.
Meanwhile, the irony of Congress amending tax laws to encourage motion
picture and TV production in the US has not been lost on the Australian
film and television industry.
Some Australian industry responses:
'The Americans are outrageous. They want it both ways. They want to be
able to enact laws to support their biggest cultural industry - film
and television - as well as preventing the Australian Government ever
making new regulations to support our culture,' said Megan Elliott,
Executive Director of the Australian Writers Guild. 'The USA and the
Motion Picture Association of America in particular take the high
ground about foreign government support for cultural industries.
However, the US film industry has been benefiting for years from the
Foreign Sales Corporation legislation that gives tax breaks to all US
exporters - ie they don't pay tax on their substantial foreign
earnings,' said Geoff Brown, Executive Director of the Screen Producers
Association of Australia. 'The WTO found this to be an illegal export
subsidy in 2000 and the US has been dragging the chain on fixing the
problem.'
Richard Harris, Executive Director of the Australian Screen Directors
Association, said: 'All governments, including the US,
want the flexibility to act and the US is being hypocritical in trying
to deny it to Australia.'
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Our recent 'Call to Action' to ASA members has already
generated many letters, faxes and emails, and we thank you.
If you haven't written yet, please do - the PM, the Minister for Trade
and the whole of this Government need to hear your voices. If you've
already written to the parliamentarians listed below, write again with
outrage at the Americans' hypocrisy, write to other parliamentarians
you know personally or you know of, write to the editors of your major
and local newspapers, or call up your local talkback radio program.
Make a noise!
As advised in our last Call to Action, we strongly urge you to
write messages to the Prime Minister, to the Minister for Trade, to the
Minister for Communications, IT and the Arts, and to your local member.
Your messages could include the following:
& a statement about the importance to you of Australian culture;
.... your concern that the AUSFTA threatens the future ability of
Australians to produce, experience and enjoy Australian culture,
especially in the audiovisual field;
& your rejection of any moves by the present Australian Government
to limit the ability of governments in the future to regulate and
support Australian cultural production.
Personalise your message - obviously formulaic letters are much less
effective.
Parliamentarians of all persuasions need to hear this message, so
please write to your local MP no matter what party they belong to.
Addresses are as follows:
Prime Minister The Honourable John Howard
The House of Representatives, Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Tel: 02) 6277 7700 Fax: 02) 6273 4100
There is no email address for John Howard listed on the Parliament
House site, but you can send an email through the following web site: http://www.pm.gov.au/email.cfm
The Honourable Mark Vaile, Minister for
Trade
The House of Representatives, Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Tel: 02) 6277-7420 Fax: 02) 6273-4128
Email: mark.vaile.mp@aph.gov.au
The Honourable Daryl Williams
Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
The House of Representatives, Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Tel: 02) 6277-7480 Fax: 02) 6273-4154
Email: daryl.williams.MP@aph.gov.au
Your Federal member of parliament's address can be found by
referring to the following Parliament House Web site:
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/index.htm
If you are unsure of your Federal electorate, you can find out by using
the Australian Electoral Commission's search engine at:
http://www.aec.gov.au/esearch/main.htm,
or by calling the Australian
Electoral Commission on 13 23 26.
Please send your emails, faxes and letters as soon as
possible, and forward copies to us at the ASA office.
The timetable for these negotiations has been truncated to
suit the re-election hopes of both John Howard and George Bush. They
hope to have a deal struck by the end of this year at the latest. This
could be your last chance to make your voice heard. Please
write/fax/email immediately.
For more information please call the ASA office on 02) 9318 0877 or
email me on jose@asauthors.org.
Thank You
José Borghino
Executive Director
PS Since our last 'Call to Action' email, an ASA member has found a way
to email the PM. It's included above with the PM's other details.
--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
José Borghino
Tel: +61 2 9318-0877
Executive Director
Fax: +61 2 9318-0530
Email: jose@asauthors.org
Australian Society of Authors: Principal advocate for the professional
and artistic interests of Australian authors. Protecting basic rights
to freedom of expression, working to improve income and conditions,
promoting Australian writing and literary culture.
PO Box 1566, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
http://www.asauthors.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-------------------------------
Ali Smith
Membership Secretary
The Australian Society of Authors
Principal advocate for the professional and artistic interests of
Australian authors.Protecting basic rights to freedom of expression,
working to improve income and conditions, promoting Australian writing
and literary culture.
ali@asauthors.org
http://www.asauthors.org
PO Box 1566
98 Pitt Street Ph: (61-2) 9318 0877
Strawberry Hills 2012 Redfern 2016 Fax:
(61-2) 9318 0530
--
Erica Jolly
(08) 8356 7716
30 North Street,
Henley Beach SA 5022
|
