SMH:"Local authors, book publishers and unions have secured a win over the major book retailing chains in their campaign to maintain restrictions on imports of cheaper foreign-published books.
The Federal Government this morning announced it would abandon proposed changes to Australia's book publishing regime that supporters say would have made books cheaper and more widely available but critics argued would harm the local publishing industry.
In announcing the decision, Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Emerson argued the growth of online retailers such as Amazon and electronic books such as Kindle would instead drive innovation and price reductions..."
What a weak, pathetic...
As worthy as the similar decision Labor made in the 1990s to retain restrictions on imports of cheaper recorded music.
The party of reform?
The party of evidence-based decisions?
The Productivity Commission amassed the evidence. Labor caved in to lobbying.
As Alan Fels just said at the Press Club, "every special interest group is now lining up"
Rudd is open for business.
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14 comments:
I agree Peter, it's weak policy on the part of the government. The usual story of protecting the interests of a narrow group while costing the rest of us more. Look no further than the car industry for that.
Yep. I buy most of my books (I'm a heavy reader) over the net now but after this I'll buy them all - I'm not giving another dollar to an Australian publisher or distributor.
If that means that I now read fewer Australian authors well they should have thought of that before swallowing their publishers' lies and disseminating this nonsense. But then I suppose literary types tend not to have much in the way of an analytic mindset, and so were easy prey to their publishers' blandishments.
Its all about jobs and protecting them
Booko.com.au all the way. Once again Aussie consumers are worse off as a result of a few special interests
And this from the very same Kevin Rudd, who, in launching Paul Kelly's book (!), described conservative governments as indolent on and uncommitted to reform. I'd add gormless, spineless and hypocritical to the adjectives you have used.
What a mob of tightarsed, hypocritical whingers you are. So much of Australian investment and endeavor has been lost over the years to cheap imports that we have become an economy that relies on population growth and Quarry Vision to sustain us.
Do you all seriously expect me to believe that you can't find a few more dollars per book to support an Australian industry?
Think about jobs for your kids. The car industry received a lot of support but it generated a lot of jobs the extent of which most people have no idea, and a lot of technical know how the extent of which most people have no idea.
Dear Salient,
The Australian book industry would be about as hurt by imports as the Australian recorded music industry was.
How much was that again?
Books by Australians for Australians will be just as attractive to Australians after imports are allowed as they were before.
By the way, that's quite a lot.
But the change would give Australian booksellers the ability to choose where they sourced their foreign blockbusters from.
What could be wrong with that?
What?
Salient, this has nothing to do with consumers protecting the Australian book industry. It has everything to do with vested interests protecting themselves from competition. If an industry needs trade protection from imports, then you have to question if it's viable.
And those car industry jobs? They cost the tax payer way more in subsidies than the individual employees compensation. Industry protectionism is a losing proposition for society as a whole.
I agree with you Peter; this is actually a weak decision from the government. To protect one particular industry they are shutting doors for imports. I think people deserve to have low price products, if the option is available. This shows incompetency of the government.
If the Australian book industry is not hurt AND no jobs are lost, I apologise, this apology being held in trust, not effective until such time etc etc.
Just because an industry isn't viable against cheap imports, the production of which are usually fundamentally flawed in many ways, doesn't mean it is not worthwhile having in Australia for reasons of jobs, skills, security, national pride, and should be supported by tariffs, rather than handouts.
Well I guess Coles and Woolworths can now put all their energies into providing cheaper groceries...
Anon, Coles and Woolies are a different problem. They need more competition. As it is, they are a virtual duopoly, with little incentive to be price competitive. And I say this as a share holder of both.
Adam S - and yet Coles and Woolworths were part of the coalition for cheaper books.(Because they really, truly care about lower prices for consumers...)
Sorry, wasn't aware of that. Still talking about two different problems though.
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