Minister Helen Coonan has given the Game Developers’ Association of Australia’s (GDAA) proposal of a 40% rebate for game developers the shake of her head, according to IGN.AU.
GDAA CEO Greg Bondar was understandably upset with the turn of events and the Government’s lack of support for the country’s growing games industry. From the IGN.AU story:
We are continually encountering situations where large scale projects are being awarded to game development companies overseas as they’re able to provide a rebate incentive for companies in the game, film and entertainment industries to employ their services. Without the same sort of ‘carrot’ to dangle in their faces, we find that an enormous amount of business is being lost.
When you read this comment made on ANZ game developer portal Sumea in regards to the story, the situation seems even more bizarre:
Interestingly enough, both Firemint and Torus picked up a Commendation at the Governor of Victoria Export Awards on Tuesday night, which is an official recognition that games companies contribute to the export economy. Didn’t see any film makers get a mention.
So what exactly does our Government think it’s doing? Or more accurately, Minister Coonan? Considering Auran had to seek overseas investment for Fury, it makes you wonder if the Government is paying attention to the industry at all.
Minister Dismisses AU Games Industry [IGN.AU, via Sumea]
NegativeZero
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 2:44 PMThe simple fact of the matter is that Helen Coonan has *absolutely no idea* what she is doing. The state of broadband is a joke, the games industry is plateauing due to lack of support, and all she’s interested in doing is throwing millions of taxpayer dollars down the toilet to push mandatory and completely impractical content filtering onto ISPs and the like.
Mentoes
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 4:19 PMHey Kevin Rudd! Announce a rebate or funding for Aussie games developers and I will vote for you!
Hell, Im voting for you anyway.
a|A
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 5:13 PMThis makes me so amazingly annoyed.
The Australian government has such little respect for computer gaming, the arts, and education.
Just because lots of dinosaurs once lived on the oddly shaped mass that became Australia, doesn’t mean we need to be a country full of technological fossils.
flippzilla
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 5:19 PMIs there something we can actually do to change this? Or do we have to wait for them to run out of poor decisions to make?
I’m pretty sure they’ve got a fair few spare.
minefield
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 6:24 PMThey just lost my vote.
dr in3rtia
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 6:58 PMThere was something a politician once said that always stuck with me “Australia is a technological goat track” and I think this suits the article perfectly.
Mentoes
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 7:02 PMThere is one thing we can do FLIPPZILLA, Vote for the other guys come November ;)
Anonymous
Friday, October 5, 2007 at 8:45 AMforget it. the howard government has been little more than a series of incremental retrograde steps on just about everything *except* help for their rich mates. I mean seriously, with all the cash they blew on pseudo privatising telstra and installing Trujillo? don’t even get me started.
rotney
Monday, October 8, 2007 at 9:51 AMlol lets go and comment and msg RUDDS myspace page! haha he’ll listen!