'Tax on Bluey': Rudd rips into Trump's film tariffs

Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on foreign-made movies amounts to a "tax on Bluey", Australia's ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd has joked at a high-level economics summit.

Speaking in Los Angeles, the former prime minister spoke out against the US president's 100 per cent tariff on films produced outside the country.

Pointing to the popular Australian cartoon, Dr Rudd said, "I don't think we want to see a tax on Bluey".

"What happens if we all lock down our countries with competitive punitive arrangements against each other's movies?" he said.

"Movies are the way in which we kind of understand each other more."

The White House later clarified the Trump administration has not yet made any final decision, despite the president's announcement earlier this week.

Mr Trump had said the movie industry was dying "a fast death" due to incentives offered by other countries to secure movies.

Australia is a popular location for Hollywood film productions due to tax incentives and diverse landscapes.

A location offset scheme offers a 30 per cent rebate for big-budget films shot in Australia, with additional post-production rebates.

The Albanese government has stood behind the nation's screen industry since the tariffs were announced, and it remains unclear how they would work.

At Australia's largest screen industry event on the Gold Coast, Canadian film producers also spoke against the proposal.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged governments not to get in the way of the collaboration between American and Australian artists in creative industries.

State leaders also weighed in, with NSW Premier Chris Minns declaring the move "short-sighted" and a "bad decision" for movies filmed in either country.