Arts Minister Vows to Defend Screen Industry After Trump’s 100 Percent Film Tariff

Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke has pledged to defend Australia’s screen industry after U.S President Donald Trump confirmed he would impose a 100 percent tariff on foreign-made films.

Burke said the government was preparing to respond to any fallout from the decision.

“In conjunction with Screen Australia, we’ll continue to monitor the situation in the U.S. and any impacts it might have for us in Australia,” he told NewsWire.

“Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry.”

Trump had first floated the suggestion in May, but confirmed the move overnight in a social media post accusing other countries—including Australia—of undermining Hollywood.

Hollywood studios and companies, like Disney, Marvel and Industrial Light and Magic have for years moved productions away from California to take advantage of lower costs and incentives.

Trump Confirms 100 Percent Tariff

In a statement on his Truth Social platform, the U.S. president claimed the “movie making business has been stolen” from America.

“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby,’” he wrote.

“California, with its weak and incompetent governor, has been particularly hard hit! Therefore, in order to solve this long-time, never-ending problem, I will be imposing a 100 percent tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.”

The announcement has put major studios and global production partners on alert.

Impact on Australian Productions

Screen Producers Australia reacted with dismay to the announcement.

“Fundamental issues remain unresolved as to what in practice this means and how this can be applied,” said CEO Matthew Deaner, in a statement.

“While Australia isn’t as exposed as some other countries, it’s vital we diversify our industry through a broader range of international partnerships and expanded co-production arrangements,” Deaner said.

“Local content rules for streaming platforms, strengthened funding for the ABC, SBS, and Screen Australia, and reforms to our tax offset system are essential to ensure Australian stories continue to thrive, regardless of international trade turbulence.”

In the past decade, Australia has secured numerous Hollywood productions to bolster its local film industry including Mad Max: Furiosa, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, King Kong: Skull Island, and Pacific Rim: Uprising.

The federal government currently offers a 30 percent rebate on production costs for big-budget film and television projects, plus a matching rebate for post-production expenses such as editing, visual effects and sound mixing.

These incentives are complemented with a swathe of state and territory schemes.