Christine Milne responded to Minister Crean's National Cultural Policy announcement and responded to questions on media reform and Fiji

Subjects: National cultural policy, media reform, Fiji.

CHRISTINE MILNE: The long-awaited cultural policy has at last been unveiled. This is a long time coming and right around Australia people have been looking forward to this day and have been wondering whether it would ever come.

The Australian Greens, in partnership with the trustee of Australia's most prestigious literary prize, The Miles Franklin Award, is calling on the Gillard Government to scrap its policy of taxing iconic arts awards.

"The Gillard Government and the Coalition need to get their priorities right - taxing prize money for authors and artists raises very little revenue and makes no sense if we value Australia's artists." Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said

The Australian Greens are calling on the Gillard Government to increase the location tax offset for films from 16.5 per cent to 30 per cent to ensure Australia becomes the world's premier location for major international film and television production.

This week the Greens received costings from the Parliamentary Budget Office which reveal this initiative will cost $27 million over the forward estimates.

"The PBO costings show this is a small investment for a huge multiplier," Senator Christine Milne said.

Film and creative arts industries create thousands of jobs in Australia and are a critical driver in the transition from a dig it up, cut it down, ship it away economy to the diverse knowledge and information based future that will make us competitive in the 21st century. They must be supported.

"I am very pleased the government has moved to secure the filming and production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but this should not be a one-off," Senator Christine Milne said.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne held a press conference to launch the Greens' initiatives to support the arts, and comment on other issues of the day.

Australian Greens Leader, Christine Milne, attending events at Tasmania's MONA FOMA festival this week, is launching $10 million of initiatives to support the arts and enrich the lives of more Australians.

The initiatives would ensure more young and emerging artists are paid for their work, encourage more innovation in the arts, and support more touring to regional Australia and overseas.

"The arts, from festivals like MONA FOMA and the Sydney Festival, to small art galleries and community theatre companies, bring so much joy to our lives," Senator Milne said.

The strongest statement yet from Arts Minister, Simon Crean, that he supports lifting the location tax offset to 30% for all films, not just Wolverine, is a sign to the industry and its supporters to campaign even harder for this important move, the Australian Greens said today.

"I had the great pleasure and privilege of a tour around the Wolverine set last week after years of raising the need to lift the location tax offset, and saw first hand the high-skilled jobs in this industry," Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

The Greens have successfully protected Australia's National Gallery, Library, Museum, Film and Sound Archive and other cultural institutions from more jobs and service cuts through a $40 million grant primarily for digitising collections that completely insulates them from the Gillard Government's Efficiency Dividend.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman's cancellation of the Premier's Literary Prize is another example of taking the state backwards in search of a quick buck, the Australian Greens said today.

"The great reputation Queensland has built in the arts, with its excellent galleries, orchestra and literature prize, is a vital part of what has made the state vibrant and innovative," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said today.

The National Library of Australia will have to be appropriately funded, including exemption from the efficiency dividend, if the Gillard government goes ahead with worthy plans to extend its responsibilities into archiving digital records, the Australian Greens said today.