Screen Australia's draft Statement of Intent (SOI) for 2008/09 responds to the Statement of Expectations (10) 2008/09 from the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. SOIs are formal commitments by Screen Australia to meet the expectations of Government. They are intended to enhance communication between the Minister, Screen Australia and the Department.

Screen Australia commenced operations on 1 July 2008 and will deliver the programs of its three predecessor organisations - the Australian Film Commission, the Film Finance Corporation and Film Australia - until a revised program structure can be introduced following industry consultation.

The draft SOI sets out preliminary thinking within Screen Australia on the shape of these programs. It sets out a new direction for Screen Australia in an environment considerably changed by the introduction of the Producer Offset and the amalgamation of the three screen agencies largely responsible for funding development, production and marketing of screen content.

This draft SOI presents broad principles only. A second round of industry consultation will take place in October focusing on the development of detailed programs and guidelines around these principles.