ASA makes 2022-23 Pre-Budget Submission to Government

1.02.22

Last week, the ASA made a Pre-Budget Submission to Treasury, continuing to make the case for increased government investment in literature in the 2022-2023 Budget.

As outlined in previous ASA submissions to government, progressive cuts to arts budgets over many years have chipped away at much of the government support that fuelled the success of previous generations of writing luminaries. For example, government investment in literature has fallen by 40% through the Australia Council over the past decade. In addition, unlike the performing arts, visual arts or contemporary music, there is no national strategy for literature, and no coordinated framework between federal and state funding bodies.  

We know how hard it is to earn a living as an author or illustrator, and research by Macquarie University and ASA surveys shows declining author earnings. To ensure the sustainability of Australian literature, we need a national plan which sets out priorities for the sector: increased direct writer’s grants; a focus on First Nations storytelling and publishing; domestic and global market development to build capacity; support for those bodies and institutions that foster reading and writing in Australia; the modernisation of Australia’s lending rights schemes; and a reading campaign to create a nation of readers.

The opportunity to grow the book industry is exciting, particularly given the popularity of Australian authors and the growing export potential (most particularly in China) but government investment is needed to realise its full potential.   

The ASA submitted our priorities to Treasury:

1. Direct authors' grants: the development of a Commonwealth Fellowships and Grants program which includes a focus on First Nations storytelling, designed to fuel the talent pipeline and build the creative economy of the future
2. A 20% increase to the Federal Government’s Lending Rights Budget to fund the expansion of the public lending rights (PLR) and educational lending rights (ELR) schemes to include digital formats (ebooks and audiobooks), which would modernise the schemes and reflect the reality of library holdings.

You will be able to read the ASA's submission on our DLR Advocacy page once it has been made publicly available by the Treasury.