Fed: Screen producers says local content rules should be law

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2004
Fed: Screen producers says local content rules should be law

CANBERRA, Aug 3 AAP - The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) today criticised
the government for failing to immediately back Labor's plan to enshrine local-content
rules in legislation.

Labor will push for the change although the party has supported the free trade agreement
with the United States, which the SPAA has campaigned against.

Prime Minister John Howard said the coalition might consider putting the local-content
provisions into regulations, meaning they would be overseen by the Senate, but did not
favour giving them full legal backing.

SPAA executive director Geoff Brown said Labor's proposed change did not go anywhere
near addressing the organisation's concerns with the FTA, but the local content suggestion
was some help.

"It seemed a fairly easy thing for the government to concede on. It puts the debate
in the parliament rather than with the regulator," he said.

AAP kmh/sb/jnb/sd

KEYWORD: TRADE US SPAA

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