Cutting Screen Queensland is a short‑sighted gamble on our creative future

The Queensland government’s decision to reduce funding to Screen Queensland — the state’s film and television agency — risks doing real harm to an industry that has become a genuine economic and cultural asset for the Sunshine State. The announced cut has already shaken industry confidence about the state’s ability to attract future productions. That consequence should make every Queenslander sit up. Film and television production is not a boutique cultural exercise. Productions bring steady work for local crews, craftspeople, hospitality and accommodation providers, and they generate flow‑on business for suppliers and small enterprises. They also underpin a visible local skills pipeline: the electricians, camera operators, set builders and post‑production technicians whose day jobs support families and regional economies. When a state lowers the drawbridge on incentives and support, it risks losing the long‑term investment that builds those capabilities. It is easy to see the temptation for governments: in tight budgetary times, arts and screen agencies can look like headline savings. But the danger is that those short‑term savings become long‑term losses. Film and television are mobile industries: production dollars follow certainty. If Queensland is perceived as reducing support, producers will look to other states or international locations that offer stable funding, incentives and local infrastructure. The state’s reputation — once damaged — is costly to rebuild. There is also a civic dimension. Homegrown stories and local voices on screen matter to how a community sees itself. Productions spotlight locations across the state, promote tourism, and contribute to a shared cultural fabric. While these are not easy to quantify in a budget sheet, they are part of what makes a place attractive to live in and visit. Industry advocates will point out that confidence, once shaken, is hard to regain. That is not rhetorical: projects are planned months and years in advance. A funding cut reverberates through the pipeline, prompting producers to reconsider commitments, and potentially leaving local crew and suppliers with fewer opportunities. The result can be a brain drain of skilled workers who take their experience interstate or overseas. Queensland’s policymakers should be clear-eyed about what is at stake. If the aim is fiscal prudence, there are better ways to pursue it than undermining an agency that helps attract billions in production investment — and the jobs that come with it. If the decision reflects a reprioritisation, it should be accompanied by a forward plan to ensure local capability is preserved and private investment is incentivised, rather than driven away. For ordinary Queenslanders the argument is straightforward: this is about jobs, local business and the state’s reputation. A deliberate strategy to maintain confidence in the screen sector will keep work in Queensland and ensure the state continues to host productions that showcase its communities. The alternative is predictable: fewer productions, fewer jobs and the slow erosion of an industry that has worked hard to establish itself here. Governments must be custodians of both balance sheets and long-term economic foundations. Cutting Screen Queensland without a credible plan to replace the lost certainty is a short‑sighted move that risks costing the state more than it saves.