Senator EGGLESTON (3:11 PM) —It was a long five minutes, Senator Abetz, you are quite right. Senator Lundy has misrepresented the situation altogether. I am sure that everybody in this chamber, this parliament and the whole of Australia is very proud of the Australian film industry, and we all want to see it continue to prosper and represent the cultural identity of Australia around the world. The film industry has done very well over the years. We have produced some outstanding films like Gallipoli,Strictly Ballroom and so on—many films which have captured the spirit of Australia. Nobody wants to see either Australian film production or Australian television production reduced, and that certainly is the government's position also.

Senator Lundy says that we are kicking an industry when the industry is down. Again, she is making huge presumptions about the government's position on the Australian film industry. This has all come from some comments that were made at the Australian Film Industry Awards last Friday night when a number of people, including, as Senator Lundy said, Toni Collette and Geoffrey Rush, jumped to conclusions about what might be contained in the Australia-US free trade agreement in respect of local content. Again, I have to say that these people are jumping to conclusions. The Australian government is keen to see the Australian film industry and television production thrive and prosper, because it is seen as important that the world hear and see what Australia has to say about itself.

The fact is that this government has given enormous support to the film industry. In 2003-04 the government provided direct support amounting to $133 million to the Australian film sector through funding programs, grants and subsidies delivered through the Australian government film agencies, including the Australian Film Commission and Film Finance Corporation Australia. These programs, grants and subsidies will go a long way towards ensuring that our film industry is able to train the future professionals in the industry, they will boost our digital capacity and they will provide funding that will ensure that Australians make film and television programs which tell our story as a nation not only on cinema screens but on TV around the world in the countries to which we sell our programs.

There is no doubt at all that this government will continue to provide that kind of funding to support the film industry. It is quite irresponsible of Senator Lundy—who sits on the committee that holds the estimates hearings into the arts and hears what Film Finance Corporation Australia and Australian government film agencies are providing to the film industry—to make the kinds of comments that she has. It is quite clear that the Australian government will continue to provide direct support for Australian culture, including for film production, and that will not be affected in any way by the free trade negotiations.

There is no doubt at all that the Australian film industry has done a great job, as I have said; but Australian films and Australian television productions have to compete on their own merit in the world market. That is not a new thing; they have been doing that for many years. We have had great success selling television programs like Neighbours and Home and Away on the international market; they have been very well received throughout Europe, in Canada and in the Asian region. That will continue. If these programs have universal appeal as stories about people, as they do, then they will be purchased internationally.

The free trade agreement is not going to affect the production of Australian film and television programs. The federal government is committed to supporting the Australian film and television industry to the extent that it is doing at the moment and more so—the Howard government has committed $133 million to the Australian film and television industry in 2003-04 for training and production purposes. That is a fine record. We stand on our record and we will accept no criticism of it.