Australia Commits New Money For Kids’ Content And Gaming

Australia’s federal government has committed new funding for kids’ content, including animation, in its budget.

The funding includes AUD$11.9 million (USD$9.2M) over four years for the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), which supports the development, production, and promotion of kids’ programming. The foundation’s CEO Jenny Buckland said the first group of shows to be supported with that money will be unveiled next month.

Animated series supported by the non-profit in the past include The Dukes of Broxtonia (which aired on Disney XD in the U.S.), Little J & Big Cuz, and Kaboodle. The new funding comes on top of the USD$14M over two years that the ACTF was awarded last year.

The government has also launched a 30% tax offset for developers of digital games, up to USD$15.5M per developer per year. And it said it will maintain a 40% offset for producers of features and documentaries, including kids’ films (the offset was due to fall to 30% in July).

Meanwhile, government funding body Screen Australia announced five recipients of its USD$1M production fund. Two are animated: the kids’ series Ginger & the Vegesaurs (image at top) and Sunset Paradise. The former is heading to Youtube, the latter to Youtube and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s VOD platform Iview.

Last October, the federal government permanently abolished quotas that had required commercial networks to air a certain amount of kids’ content. Producers, including animation studios, reacted with dismay. The government simultaneously injected extra money into Screen Australia and the ACTF to stimulate local content production.