Plan to end restrictions on parallel book imports in Australia does not stack up

Anthony Albanese - The Sydney Morning Herald - 25 October 2016

 

 When governments consider big changes, they owe it to the community to carefully weigh the costs of those changes against the expected benefits.

The proposal to abolish parallel import restrictions in the book publishing industry does not stack up when the impact on jobs and culture are taken into account.

Australian author Peter Carey is speaking out against the proposed changes to book importation rules. Photo: Steven Siewert

Current restrictions mean that if a book has been published in Australia and overseas, it is illegal to import overseas-produced copies of that book for sale in Australia.
The arrangements protect the Australian book publishing industry. They ensure Australian authors can make a decent living and continue to bring Australian stories to the world of literature, both here and globally
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