This report summarises the findings of a four-year study of Australia’s broadcasting and production sectors and the challenges internationalisation and digital technologies pose for national screen industries and Australian stories.

The authors identify a long period of policy-making prioritising industry interests over those of the Australian community as a key threat to the creation of Australian drama that contributes to and strengthens Australian culture and identity. They argue that digital technologies profoundly disrupted Australian television, requiring fit-for-purpose policy based on impartial sector expertise like never before. Instead, Australian cultural and economic policy objectives have been muddled and policy has consistently prioritised corporate interests.

Key recommendations for policy-makers:

• Cultural specificity, access, and diversity should be key objectives of cultural policy for the Australian screen sector. To that end, funding to ensure Australians have access to 50–75 hours of new, varied, culturally-specific drama per year must be established.
• Clarity is need regarding the cultural objectives of the producer offset and Screen Australia. Ideally social and cultural aims should be separated from economic development.
• The ABC and SBS are key cultural institutions that should be central to delivering screen drama cultural objectives.
• Enforce pro-social obligations and/or fees on entities using broadcast spectrum.