Screen Producers Australia (SPA)

Overview

Screen Producers Australia (SPA) is the national trade association representing independent film and television producers in Australia. Founded in 1945, SPA has approximately 600 member businesses ranging from boutique documentary producers to large studios producing scripted drama. The organisation advocates for the independent production sector with Australian broadcasters (ABC, Nine, Seven, Ten, Foxtel, Stan), streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon, Disney+), government funding bodies (Screen Australia, state screen agencies), and in negotiations with the MEAA (Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance) on crew rates and working conditions.

SPA occupies a role analogous to PACT in the UK and the CMPA in Canada. It sits on the management side of the Australian production industry, negotiating collective agreements with unions that govern minimum rates for cast and crew on independent productions.

Membership Fees and Tiers

SPA membership is open to production companies and individuals meeting specific credit requirements. Annual subscription fees (ex GST) start at:

All fees are non-negotiable and non-refundable, subject to annual CPI increases. Full producer members gain access to SPA's Industrial Agreements, Contracts and Templates, and in-house Industrial Services for their productions. Members can apply through the SPA Join page.

Production Levy

In addition to annual subscription fees, SPA members engaged in screen production must pay a production levy on each production. The levy is calculated at 0.25% of the production budget (excluding indirect costs) for all productions with an above-the-line and below-the-line budget exceeding $500,000. This amounts to $1,250 for every $500,000 in eligible expenditure.

Key levy details for the 2026/27 financial year:

• Maximum total levy cap: $94,621.36 + GST per member business per year
• Levy caps reviewed annually and adjusted in line with the national CPI rate for the 12 months to the March Quarter, up to a maximum of 5%
• Levy is payable on the first day of principal photography
• For official co-productions, the levy applies only to the Australian component of the budget
• The levy is considered Qualifying Australian Production Expenditure (QAPE) for Producer Offset purposes, meaning it can be claimed as part of the offset calculation
• Members receive access to the Producers' Accreditation Scheme and the right to use the S.P.A. acronym and SPA logo on production credits

Full levy terms are in the SPA Production Levies Statement, effective from 13 February 2025.

Australian Content Requirements

Commercial Broadcasters

Commercial free-to-air broadcasters in Australia are required to air at least 55% Australian content between 6am and midnight. In 2024, commercial broadcasters delivered approximately 74% Australian content on primary channels, nearly 20% above the quota. Reforms effective from January 2021 removed mandatory genre-based quotas, but the overall 55% requirement remains.

Streaming Platforms

Effective January 2026, large streaming platforms (those with over 1 million Australian subscribers) must comply with local content requirements introduced through the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill. Specifically, large streaming services must invest:

• At least 10% of their total program expenditure, OR
• 7.5% of their Australian revenue

into new local drama, children's, documentary, arts, and educational programs.

Recent ACMA data shows that streamer investment in Australian content increased by 21% from 2023-24 to 2024-25, from $341 million to $414 million. Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, and Stan voluntarily report their investment to the ACMA.

SPA has been a primary advocate for these streaming content obligations, arguing that they create guaranteed demand for independent Australian production and sustain the industry's crew base and creative talent.

Collective Bargaining and the ACCC

In December 2025, SPA lodged two applications with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) seeking authorisation for 7 years to collectively bargain on behalf of its members:

1. AA1000710 (Streamers): Collective negotiation with regulated streaming platforms subject to the legislated Australian content spending obligation
2. AA1000711 (Broadcasters): Collective negotiation with free-to-air and subscription television broadcasters subject to Australian programming requirements

SPA seeks to establish model terms of engagement for licensing programs produced by its members.

On 30 April 2026, the ACCC issued a draft determination proposing not to grant authorisation to SPA. The ACCC did not grant interim authorisation. Submissions on the draft determination were due by 1 May 2026, with a final determination expected in mid-June 2026. The ACCC register page contains all related documents.

SPA argues that despite existing policy tools (Screen Australia, Producer Offset, content requirements), there is significant market failure, evidenced by a 50% reduction in domestic drama production over the last 25 years.

Collective Agreements with MEAA

SPA negotiates collective agreements with the MEAA on behalf of its member production companies, establishing minimum rates for Australian cast and crew on independent productions. These agreements are separate from broadcast-specific MEAA agreements with individual networks and govern the working conditions that apply to most independent Australian film and television production.

Full producer members gain access to these Industrial Agreements, Contracts and Templates, and in-house Industrial Services for their productions as a benefit of membership.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Australian producers, SPA membership provides advocacy representation, collective agreement access, professional community, and the industrial relations resources needed to run a production company compliant with Australian industry standards. The production levy (0.25% of budgets over $500K) is an additional cost to budget for, but it qualifies as QAPE for Producer Offset purposes, effectively reducing its net cost by 30% or 40%.

For international productions co-producing with Australia or shooting in Australia, SPA membership by the Australian co-producer signals compliance with industry standard agreements. SPA's published resources on Australian content requirements, screen production incentives, and union agreements provide the information needed to understand the Australian production landscape.

The ACCC's draft determination against SPA's collective bargaining authorisation means that, as of mid-2026, SPA members cannot collectively negotiate model terms with streamers and broadcasters. Individual production companies must negotiate licensing terms independently.

See Also

For the Australian federal funding body that works alongside SPA on industry policy, see Screen Australia in this directory. For the Australian performers union SPA negotiates with, see MEAA in this directory. For the Australian directors guild working alongside SPA, see Australian Directors Guild (ADG) in this directory. For the Canadian equivalent trade association, see Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) in this directory. Use the Indie Film Budget Calculator to factor in the SPA production levy and Producer Offset when budgeting Australian productions.