Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Arts Minister Simon Crean today announced that one of the biggest movie productions of the year, The Wolverine, will be filmed in Sydney, creating jobs for thousands of Australians.
To attract The Wolverine to Australia, the Gillard Government granted the producers a one-off payment of $12.8 million which will result in over $80 million of investment in Australia and create more than 2000 jobs.
The payment effectively provided The Wolverine a one-off investment package equivalent to an increase in the existing Location Offset to 30 per cent.
Without this effective tax offset incentive, the producers of The Wolverine would not have chosen Australia as the location.
The Wolverine will star one of Australia's best actors, Hugh Jackman, and reaffirm Australia's status as one of the world's best filming destinations.
The production will create more than 2000 jobs for Australians in all parts of the production sector from performers to the people behind the cameras and in studios - the set builders, lighting technicians, editors and special effects artists.
Up to 1500 indirect jobs will also be created in industries that provide services to large budget productions such as transport, catering and hospitality.
The Wolverine joins a long list of blockbuster productions filmed in Australia including The Matrix Trilogy and the highest budget television series of its time, The Pacific.
The Wolverine's predecessor X-Men Origins: Wolverine was also filmed in Australia, created 1000 Australian jobs and was seen by millions of moviegoers around the world.
This new chapter in the Wolverine series will help develop the skills and experience of our film sector - jobs that we want to keep here in Australia, not overseas.
A healthy Australian film sector is essential if we are to produce and see Australian content at the cinema, on our TV screens and online into the future.
The issues facing the screen industry are a focus of the National Cultural Policy and as such, will remain on the Government's agenda in the coming years.
Large budget international films make a vital contribution to the development of the local Australian screen industry and attracting them to Australia's shores remains a priority for the Australian Government.
Bringing The Wolverine to Australia reflects the strong and ongoing support of screen industry by Gillard Government.