The Book Industry Strategy Group (the Group) was established to develop viable strategies to assist the book industry to adjust to the digital environment and to improve efficiency within the book supply chain. The Group consulted widely with the book industry, librarians, educational institutions and consumers over its 12 month term and on 9 November 2011 released its final report to the Australian Government. The report contained 21 recommendations for industry reform, ranging from efficiency improvements for book distribution to increasing the digital skills of industry workers.
Read the Government’s response to the report [
PDF 188KB] [
DOC 402KB] and the 25 June 2012 media release.
Recommendation 1 of the report called for the establishment of the Book Industry Collaborative Council, which the Government supported in full.
Final Report
The BISG delivered its final report to the Australian Government in September 2011. The report was publicly released on 9 November 2011 following a launch held at Parliament House in Canberra. The BISG's report contains a series of recommendations to Government along with a proposed suite of actions for industry. Over coming months, Government will consider the BISG's recommendations in the context of whole-of-Government priorities and provide a preliminary response in early 2012.
Addendum: page 74, paragraph 1 - Book Industry Strategy Group Final Report to Government
Replacement text applies to all printed editions and digital editions downloaded prior to 14 November 2011.
The Australian Government initiated statistical data collection for book retailers and publishers in 2000–01 as part of the book industry assistance plan, a $240 million package aimed at assisting the book industry to adjust to the introduction of GST. Through this package, $1.2 million was committed over four years for annual collection of statistics by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Market Analysis Research
In the course of undertaking its deliberations, the BISG commissioned a number of major research and consultation projects. The primary research project, the Market Analysis Research Report provided the BISG with an analysis of the Australian industry and a review of its competitiveness against parallel industries in other major English speaking markets.
Public Submissions
A public submission process was held from October 2010 to January 2011 which captured the views and concerns of consumers and industry operators. The 138 submissions received have directly contributed to the debate on the future of books in Australia and formed a vital part of the research undertaken by the BISG to determine how the book industry can respond to the emerging needs of Australian consumers.
Stakeholder Workshops
Over 200 industry representatives participated in the BISG stakeholder workshops. This series focussed on identifying strategic opportunities for the future of the industry. Eight industry workshops targeting specific sectors and tailored groups were held around Australia in February and March 2011.
- Authors/agents (Sydney)
- Booksellers (Sydney)
- Book supply chain (Perth and Brisbane)
- Printers (Adelaide)
- Libraries (Canberra)
- Educators (Canberra)
- Publishers (Melbourne).
The final workshop consolidated the information gathered in the preceding industry workshops. This forum engaged eminent strategic business luminaries and book industry experts with a view to examining the broader domestic and global environments in which the book industry must operate. The participants at this workshop were -
- former ACCC Chair, Mr Graeme Samuel
- business analyst, Mr Alan Kohler
- publisher Crikey, Mr Eric Beecher
- online communications expert, Mr Paul Budde
- filmmaker, Ms Ana Kokkinos
- satirist, Mr Julian Morrow
- IP lawyer, Mr Nicholas Pullen
- Choice communications manager, Mr Christopher Zinn
- UTS copyright expert, Professor Michael Fraser
- Education Services Australia CEO, Ms Susan Mann
- author, Mr Richard Flanagan
- Lonely Planet GM, Mr Stephen Palmer
- CAL director, Mr Brian Johns
- publisher, Ms Juliet Rogers
- RMIT media and communications expert, Mr Michael Webster
- literary agent, Ms Jenny Darling
- digital bookseller, Mr Malcolm Neil
- Australia Council's Ms Susan Hayes and
- online bookseller, Ms Kim Anderson.
Workshop Report
Digital Technologies Research
Released in July 2010 the Digital Technologies in Australia's Book Industry research report provided an overview of the digital technologies used in Australia's book industry. The report was prepared exclusively to ensure that BISG members had sufficient information to understand the relevant technologies used in each part of the book supply chain.
Other Research and Information
Membership and Terms of Reference
The Australian Government announced the establishment of the Book Industry Strategy Group (BISG) on 15 February 2010. Chaired by the Hon Dr Barry Jones AO, the BISG membership brought together representatives from across the book industry supply chain to map out the way forward for this important sector. The BISG operated according to set terms of reference.
Contact
Book Industry Team
Phone: +61 2 6213 7416
Email: books@innovation.gov.au
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