Overview

• Federal and state arts ministers met at the Sydney Opera House to shape tax proposals that will inform the next National Cultural Policy review.
• More than 300 submissions proposed measures such as making prizes and grants tax-free, introducing production-cost offsets, and creating new investment incentives.
• Industry groups pushed for a live performance rebate modelled on the UK’s Theatre Tax Relief, with Opera Australia backing a 40% pre‑production incentive.
• Officials cited mounting pressures including rising production and touring costs and shifting audience behaviour, saying funding increases alone cannot keep pace.
• Tony Burke reported no new update on previously pledged local-content quotas for streaming services, even as the sector’s $67.4b contribution contrasts with ongoing worker precarity.