The Australian Greens secure inquiry into video game development in the country
23 Jun 2015    News Share

The Australian Greens secure inquiry into video game development in the country


The Australian Greens yesterday announced they’ve secured a Senate Inquiry into the development side of the Australian video games industry.

The inquiry was moved by Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Communications spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam.

“Five years ago, Australia had a bourgeoning video game development sector employing thousands of talented people in this rapidly growing industry,” Ludlam said. “Internationally, companies have experienced strong growth thanks to smart government support and favourable regulatory settings.

“In Australia, no such luck: the sector has been treated like the poor cousin of the creative industries, culminating in the Abbott Government’s decision to close the $20 million Australian Interactive Games Fund, just 12 months after it was established.

“This inquiry will help establish what the government should be doing to support Australia’s games industry and the employment, economic and creative benefits it delivers to the nation.

“The inquiry will begin accepting submissions in the coming days, with public hearings to be held in the near future. I look forward to working with the Committee to do what we can to help get the industry back on its feet.”

The inquiry will be conducted by the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications and will be up for report in April 2016.

Dates for submissions and public hearings will be announced shortly.

Steve Wright

Steve Wright

Steve Wright, aka Stevivor: A Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, freelance journalist, sweet games blog owner, ice hockey player/fan, beer aficionado and tech trainer. Steve is proud to be the Australian iiNet TopGeek 2.0!