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.

Notable Members and Leadership

Council Chair: Kate Carnell AO, appointed in 2025 as the inaugural SPA Council Chair. Carnell is a company director and small business advisor who served as ACT Chief Minister from 1995 to 2000. She completed a five-year term as the inaugural Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) in March 2021. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2006.

President: Tracey Vieira, Chief Content Officer for Hoodlum Entertainment, an Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning film and television production company operating globally between Australia, the US, and the UK. Vieira joined Hoodlum in September 2019 after five years as CEO of Screen Queensland.

Vice President: Suzanne Ryan, Founder, CEO, and Executive Producer of SLR Productions, established in 2000.

Chief Executive Officer: Matthew Deaner, who has led SPA since November 2012. Deaner oversees all aspects of SPA's advocacy work, industrial negotiations, events, and operational issues. He works closely with the Council to set strategic direction and identify new business development opportunities.

2025/26 SPA Council:

• Tracey Vieira (Hoodlum Entertainment) - President
• Suzanne Ryan (SLR Productions) - Vice President
• Lisa Scott (Highview Productions) - Producer Councillor
• Greg Woods (Fremantle Australia) - Producer Councillor, CEO of Fremantle Australia since 2022
• Aaron Fa'aoso (Lonestar Group) - Producer Councillor
• Nick Murray (CJZ) - Producer Councillor
• Kate Carnell AO - Council Chair
• Aven Yap - 2025/26 SPA Council Leadership Diversity Mentee

SPA has approximately 600 member businesses ranging from boutique documentary producers to large studios producing scripted drama.

How Initiation and Eligibility Actually Works in Practice

SPA membership is open to production companies and individuals meeting specific credit requirements. Unlike a labor union, SPA is a trade association that sits on the management side of the Australian production industry. Membership is not mandatory to work as a producer in Australia, but it provides access to collective agreements, industrial services, and advocacy representation.

Membership paths:

1. Producer tier (from $250/year ex GST): Requires at least one producer credit of no less than 30 minutes (Broadcast/Online) or 50 minutes (Theatrical). This is the entry-level tier for individual producers with a qualifying credit.

1. Services and Facilities tier (from $390/year ex GST): For businesses that provide services directly contributing to the production of screen content. This includes post-production houses, equipment rental companies, and other production service providers.

1. Higher tiers (from $1,500/year ex GST): For larger production companies, tiered by revenue or production volume.

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.

The practical decision of when to join: For Australian producers, SPA membership becomes valuable once you have a qualifying producer credit and are actively producing. The Industrial Agreements and Contracts and Templates are the primary practical benefit for working producers, as they provide the legal framework for compliant productions. The production levy (0.25% of budgets over $500,000) 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, SPA membership by the Australian co-producer signals compliance with industry standard agreements. International producers do not typically join SPA directly, but they benefit from their Australian co-producer's membership.

Benefits Breakdown

SPA members receive the following benefits:

• Industrial Agreements: Full producer members gain access to SPA's collective agreements with the MEAA, which establish minimum rates for Australian cast and crew on independent productions. These agreements govern working conditions on most independent Australian film and television production.
• Contracts and Templates: Access to SPA's library of industry-standard contracts and production templates, reducing legal costs and ensuring compliance with Australian industry standards.
• In-house Industrial Services: Production support from SPA's industrial relations team, including advice on crew rates, working conditions, and compliance.
• Advocacy representation: SPA advocates for the independent production sector with Australian broadcasters, streaming platforms, government funding bodies, and in negotiations with the MEAA. SPA has been a primary advocate for streaming content obligations.
• Producers' Accreditation Scheme: Members receive the right to use the S.P.A. acronym and SPA logo on production credits.
• Professional community: Access to SPA events, networking opportunities, and the SCREEN FOREVER conference, Australia's premier screen industry conference.
• Ones to Watch program: A career development program for emerging producers, providing pathways to sustainable careers in the Australian screen industry.

SPA does not provide health insurance, pension, or individual benefits to members. Those benefits are provided through industry unions (MEAA for performers and crew) and government programs (Medicare for health, Superannuation Guarantee for retirement). SPA is a trade association representing businesses, not a labor union representing workers.

Contracts and Tiers

SPA negotiates collective agreements with the MEAA on behalf of its member production companies. 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.

SPA does not publish its collective bargaining agreements publicly on its website. Full producer members gain access to these agreements as a benefit of membership. The agreements establish minimum rates for cast and crew by role and production type.

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

On April 30, 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 May 1, 2026, with a final determination expected in mid-June 2026. This 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.

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.

Watch

The SPA Awards are held annually on the final evening of the SCREEN FOREVER conference, celebrating excellence in Australian screen production. The awards are the only industry awards voted solely by screen businesses whose work drives Australian storytelling. The following video shows the 2026 SPA Awards presentation for Documentary Series Production of the Year, won by CJZ for The People vs Robodebt.

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.