The Australian Society of Authors welcomes this opportunity to make a submission to the Committee. Bill 2001 which would effectively dissolve Australia as a separate rights market for books.
Authors receive a zero royalty on sales of remaindered books.
The disincentive that this presents to Australian publishers is immense. If Australian publishers lessened their efforts at overseas rights sales, then Australian authors would be further isolated and disempowered and the harm to Australian culture would far outweigh any putative benefits. In this way they are already increasing Australian production, and lessening imports. UQP for 27 years. When a book like True History of the Kelly Gang is published by UQP, when that book does well, the publisher's profits are ploughed back into Australian literature.