The Australian government has announced new measures to promote the production of local content on international streaming platforms. In future, major providers with more than one million subscribers will have to invest a portion of their revenue or expenditure in Australian films, series and documentaries.

According to the Ministry of Communications and the Arts, streaming services should in future at least ten per cent of their total annual expenditure in Australia or 7.5 per cent of their Australian turnover for new local content. The regulation covers drama, children's, educational and documentary programmes in particular.

Minister of Culture Tony Burke emphasised that the aim of the reform was to keep Australian stories visible in the global media landscape. "Australians should be able to see themselves on screen," Mr Burke said. "This bill ensures that Australian content remains available on all platforms - no matter which remote you use."

Communications Minister Anika Wells emphasised that many streaming services are already producing in Australia today. The new commitment should secure and further expand this development. "Such productions characterise our cultural identity," said Wells.

With this measure, the government is reacting to the growing dominance of international streaming providers, which are increasingly displacing traditional television broadcasters. Industry associations welcomed the planned investment obligations as an important step towards strengthening local production companies and securing jobs in the creative industries.

The draft bill is to be introduced to parliament in the course of next year. After a transitional phase, the new rules are scheduled to come into force in 2026.