Book Industry Collaborative Council

The Book Industry Collaborative Council (the Council) was established by the Australian Government in June 2012. The Council's role is to help the book industry deal with the rapid changes being brought by digitisation and to assist the industry implement recommendations from the Book Industry Strategy Group. The Council will work to maintain a dialogue between the industry and government and to encourage collaboration between the supply chain sectors - ensuring this interconnectivity is vital to strengthening the position of the Australian book industry within the global market.

The Council is led by Professor David Throsby, eminent arts economist, and the membership comprises representatives from peak book industry associations and professionals; libraries; and experts from related areas such as copyright, research and telecommunications.

Terms of reference

  1. Give advice to the Minister on the priority issues for the book industry
  2. Oversee implementation of the industry-led reforms identified in the Book Industry Strategy Group report and ensuing Government response
  3.  Identify strategies across the book supply chain that increase industry capability and competitiveness and communicate these to industry and government
  4. Develop, communicate and monitor implementation plans for identified industry-led reforms
  5. Build strong productive relationships and linkages with other bodies and assist in bridging any divide between business and research
  6. Identify options for the establishment of a sustainable and independent industry body which can address issues of standards and competitive improvement in the Australian book supply chain.

Seven key areas for reform

The Council will focus on seven key areas for industry reform and has established a series of industry-based Expert Reference Groups (ERGs) to examine each topic in depth. Chaired by a Council member and comprising other industry representatives, the ERGs will investigate these key areas and seek to develop an agreed industry-wide approach:

  1. Copyright
  2. Data
  3. Distribution 
  4. Export
  5. Industry Skills
  6. Lending Rights
  7. Scholarly Book Publishing

Contacts

For further information about the Book Industry Collaborative Council, contact the Book Industry Team.