24/05/2022

The Australian Publishers Association has welcomed the election of the Albanese Labor Government and looks forward to working with the new administration.

APA CEO Michael Gordon-Smith said:

"Congratulations to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and the new Labor Government. We look forward to working together to ensure reading is an essential part of Australian life. 

Investing in books and reading will pay returns many times over. Reading is the fundamental skill, and published stories and knowledge the fundamental resources that sustain the modern world. Through books, learning materials and scholarly journals, publishing can change lives and communities. 

We’re encouraged by Labor’s announcement that it will address the urgent needs of the creative industries. A fresh strategic approach is needed to develop the book industry, reading and literature in Australia. 

Before the election, the APA as part of the Books Create Australia group released seven recommendations for the next government. We need a national plan for reading and books; a pipeline for new Australian stories; and support to transform the industry and to make Australian writers’ careers more sustainable.

The Australian book industry turns over around $2 billion annually, and supports more than 30,000 jobs – including authors, editors, publishers, designers, distributors, booksellers and librarians – and refreshes Australian life, identity and education with some 7000 new local titles each year.”

Mr Gordon-Smith thanked the outgoing Government and especially the former minister, the Hon Paul Fletcher, for engaging with the industry and in particular for working to help it recover from the pandemic. The RISE scheme has helped authors, publishers and booksellers to take the next steps in developing the industry, and to keep the pipeline of Australian stories flowing to Australian audiences.