All drama production
Spend by location

value and share of production spend by location: all drama

Drama production spending by location fluctuates according to the level of major expenditure by foreign or high-budget local productions in any given year. The majority of spending is concentrated in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

New South Wales has, historically, accounted for around half of all drama production spending since 1995/96. In 2023/24, expenditure was $799 million, which accounted for 47% of total spend in Australia, down by 4 percentage points on last year. Expenditure was 34% down on last year, 11% below the 5-year average.

Queensland has accounted for 20% of all drama production spending since 1995/96. More than any other state or territory, yearly expenditure is considerably affected by the presence of foreign productions, which usually account for a substantial proportion of the state's total spend. In 2023/24, expenditure was $300 million, which accounted for 18% of total spend in Australia, down by 12 percentage points on last year. Expenditure was 57% down on last year, and 28% below the 5-year average.

Victoria has fairly consistently accounted for around 20-30 per cent of drama spending, with fluctuations mainly caused by foreign productions. In 2023/24, expenditure was $329 million, which accounted for 19% of total spend in Australia, up by 4 percentage points on last year. Expenditure was 7% down on last year, and was 12% below the 5-year average.

South Australia has accounted for 5% of all drama production spending since 1995/96. Activity is predominantly in the local slate and from foreign PDV-only expenditure. In 2023/24, expenditure was $86 million, which accounted for 5% of total spend in Australia, 2 percentage points up from last year. Expenditure was 6% up on last year, but 25% below the 5-year average.

Western Australia has accounted for 2% of all drama production spending since 1995/96. Activity is mainly related to the local and Co-production slate, with children’s productions comprising a significant proportion of activity. In 2023/24, expenditure was $77 million, which accounted for 5% of total spend in Australia, 4 percentage points up from last year. Expenditure more than tripled on the previous year, and was more than double the 5-year average.

The Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Tasmania has accounted for 1% of all drama production spending since 1995/96. In 2023/24, combined expenditure was $105 million, setting a record high for this group that is more than double the 5-year average. It accounted for 6% of total spend in Australia, up from less than 1% in the previous year.