Australian trade bodies rally against importation changes
15.07.09 The Bookseller

Australian trade bodies the ABA and APA, together with the Australian Society of Authors (ASA), the Australian Literary Agents Association (ALAA) and printing body Printing Industries have all attacked the country's Productivity Commission's recommendations to scrap importation restrictions on books.According the Australian book trade magazine, Bookseller + Publisher, the APA said the Commission's report was "a triumph of ideology over evidence". Citing the objections of publishers, authors, printers, state governments and ‘over 90% of booksellers', that wished to see the current legislation retained, APA CEO McCaskill said the Commission had ignored the evidence put by these parties because ‘it doesn't fit the rigid free-market mindset of the Productivity Commission, which is determined to abolish [PIRs], evidence or no evidence'.APA spokesperson Jose Borghino told WBN the APA would continue to lobby on the issue now that the final report had been made public.
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