AustLit

The decision to retain parallel importation rules in the publishing industry is likely to be a Trojan horse. It would be hard to find a more emotional response from the Right to the decision by the Rudd government to maintain the import rules that have given some protection to the publishing and printing industry in Australia. Michael Stutchbury, economics editor at The Australian, led the reaction. Under the heading 'Decision Betrays a Lack of Spine', he accuses the Rudd government of not caring for consumers who will have to pay more for books, not giving 'a fig' about the tax on underprivileged kids, throwing out the education revolution, and not caring for 'social inclusion'. As these are all social agendas that Stutchbury and The Australian are not known for championing in their own right, we might need to dig a little deeper to understand the source of the concern. (Source : Arena Magazine No:103 December-January, 2009 - 2010)