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The Australian government will implement laws requiring digital services to invest a specified percentage of funds in domestic productions, as announced by official sources on Tuesday.

Services such as Amazon Prime and other providers with over one million users must contribute at least 10% of their Australian expenditure or 7.5% of income on Australian content.

Legislation will be introduced to parliament this week covering documentaries and informative content.

Government representatives announced this initiative would help to safeguard acting employment within the industry. The platforms have not yet commented on the matter.

'Extraordinary shows'

"We have Australian content obligations for broadcast TV and pay television, but until now, we lacked no guarantee that we could see our own stories on streaming services," an official spokesperson stated.

"Since their introduction domestically, digital platforms have produced numerous remarkable shows. This obligation guarantee such productions – our stories – will keep being produced."

According to sources, legislation will be introduced to legislators this week.

These updated content requirements were meant to be in place by July last year however worries over how they would interact with international trade pacts with the US resulted in the plans being put on hold.

The government mentioned challenges conducting negotiations with American counterparts while it was holding electoral process.

Following the U.S. election, there was then concern regarding if the rules might prompt American officials to impose trade measures targeting Australian interests.

Now, following resolution, amid strengthened ties internationally, those rules are now back on the table.

Although professional associations welcomed the news, platforms have yet to comment on the matter.

Back in 2022, streaming platforms published documentation emphasizing their artistic and financial impact to the country's creative economy.

However, it was seen by some as a pre-emptive strike against any attempt at future regulation.

Industry decline

Recent Australian shows available online feature multiple series spanning various genres.

Like many countries, Australia's creative industries have suffered recently, in part due to the production slump throughout the health crisis.

During the fiscal period recently concluded, funding for feature films and television dramas produced domestically fell by nearly 30%, as reported by sector data.