– Tom Heath
Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlam has called for the Environment and Communications References Committee investigation into how the Australian government could best incite growth in the local games industry.
Kotaku reports Ludlam said the Australian games industry has suffered major losses over the past decade, causing many developers to look for jobs overseas. He said if the Committee investigates the Coalition government’s 2014 budget decision to shut down the Interactive Media Fund, a total $10 million of grants for local developers, they could find a regulatory or taxation framework that would better facilitate growth within the industry. The senator used Canada as an example where tax breaks for game developers resulted in a spike in industry growth.
The Committee is yet to make a decision as to whether it will pursue Ludlam’s request, however if they do they would have to report back with their findings in April 2016.
The Australian games industry suffered a huge blow early this year when the last AAA studio, 2K Australia, closed its doors in April.
2K Australia was based in Canberra, which also happens to be where Tom hails from. Are you a fellow Canberran? Hit him up on Twitter: @tomdheath. You can complain about those cold winters together. Hear Tom be mocked for his Canberra heritage on his podcast: Unnatural Selection.
You can also follow LoadScreen on Twitter: @load_screen, and Facebook.
