Peter Hamilton runs documentary.com, a site about the market for documentaries around the globe. Peter is an Aussie who once taught at Sunshine Tech, would you believe, but is now based in New York.

Here is his summary of what’s going on in Australia, gleaned at the WCSFP congress in Paris late last year.

Australia is enjoying its biggest boom since the 1850′s Gold Rush:

• The GFC wasn’t even a hiccup.
• Carpenters sip their early morning strong flat whites and then head off to work in their Audi’s.
• New Coal-for-China billionaires seem to be minted weekly.

Is this wealth trickling down to the Aussie Factual sector?

For the Paris Science Congress, we surveyed the Australian landscape from 20,0000 feet through interviews with local industry participants. We focused on Specials, limited series and docs. Here are our updated findings…

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TAKEAWAYS

• 90%+ of Australia’s total factual spend is accounted for by ABC and SBS.
• Both are taxpayer-supported broadcasters.

• And they are experiencing reorgs.

• But neither pubcaster has benefited from a big step up in the public TV budget that would have flowed through to local unscripted production.

FUNDING

• Funding from Screen Australia is steady – this year $16+/- million is budgeted for factual, indicating the  modest scale of the Australian market
• Screen Australia’s factual spend is directed (+/-):

• 50% for ABC
• 40% for SBS
• And 10% for cable/satellite channels.