Printing industries fight for Aussie books

THE PRINTING Industries Association of Australia (PIAA) has joined the battle to protect the local book manufacturing industry, said to be threatened by the proposed removal of parallel import restrictions (PIRs) on overseas book editions.

The Federal Government is considering the removal of PIRs in the sector on the advice of the Harper Review and the Productivity Commission – an organisation that is the most recent iteration of what was once called the Australian Tariff Board and before that the Industries Assistance Commission. 

But there has been a public outcry from Australian publishers and authors who believe the move will overrun Australian intellectual property rights which protect authors and publishers from overseas imports – often of their own works. The Harper Review described the benefits of the move as providing cheaper books for Australians, but the publishing industry believes it would see Australian industry overrun and financially unsustainable.

Industry news source ProPrint reported the PIAA warned that Australia's authors – whose creative earnings are estimated at an average of less than $13,000 per year – would  lose the support of a currently healthy Australian publishing industry, as well as see declines in royalties and career-supporting income from overseas rights sales.

PIAA has combined with the Australian Publishers Association, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) and the Australian Society of Authors – with prominent authors Peter Carey and Thomas Keneally and deputy Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese in support – in a lobbying push to help protect the Aussie book industry.

www.piaa.org.au

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