The ABS has released hard numbers on the state of our local games industry. Don’t be shy – the data is available to anyone who wants to read it, including tech-savvy amphibians, extra-terrestrials and my grandma.

While there’s a lot of interesting info in the report, I found the opening paragraphs the most poignant:

At end June 2007, there were 45 businesses in Australia involved in the provision of digital game development services. These businesses employed over 1,400 people and generated a total income of $136.9m which represented an average of $3m per business.

Sadly, these numbers contrast poorly with the industry’s expenses:

Total expenses incurred for the same period were $128.5m. Almost two-thirds of this amount was attributable to labour costs ($83.8m).

Two-thirds in labour costs? If this doesn’t stick a massive flashing sign on just how much a 40% tax rebate is needed, I don’t know what will.

Hit the jump for a press release from the Game Developers Association of Australia, which includes a few words from president Tom Crago.