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The Australian government is set to enact legislation mandating digital services to allocate a minimum amount of revenue in homegrown programming, as announced by government statements on Tuesday.

Platforms such as Disney+ and other providers that have 1M users will need to allocate a minimum of ten percent of their Australian spending or 7.5% of income on local productions.

Legislation is being presented to parliament this week covering drama and educational content.

Official representatives announced the move is designed to safeguard acting employment within the industry. Streaming services are yet to commented publicly.

'Extraordinary shows'

"We have Australian content requirements for broadcast television and subscription services, however previously, we lacked no guarantee of viewing Australian narratives on streaming services," an official spokesperson stated.

"Since their introduction in Australia, streaming services have created some extraordinary shows. These requirements guarantee that those stories – our stories – continue to be made."

As reported by sources, legislation is scheduled for presentation to Parliament this week.

These updated production obligations were originally scheduled in place by July last year however worries over how they would interact with a free trade agreement involving America resulted in the plans being delayed.

Officials cited challenges conducting negotiations with the US during their an election.

After President Trump was elected, there was then concern about whether the regulations might prompt American officials to implement trade measures targeting Australian interests.

Now, following resolution, and with strengthened ties between the countries, those rules are now back for consideration.

Although professional associations welcomed the news, streamers are still to comment on the matter.

Previously, streaming platforms published a report highlighting their cultural and economic impact on the national creative economy.

Nonetheless, some observers interpreted this as strategic positioning in anticipation at future regulation.

Industry decline

Current Australian shows on streaming platforms feature multiple series across different categories.

Similar to other nations, Australia's creative industries have suffered recently, partly because of the production slump during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the fiscal period recently concluded, investment in movies and television dramas made in Australia decreased by almost one-third, according to industry data.