Thomo's Hole

I like to read. I like to go to the bookshop and wander around looking for a book to buy and to read. I also buy books online – but mostly I buy from the bookstore. The current Australian Labour Government, by a bowing to an interest group, has put at risk my ability to walk around a bookshop and buy a book.

The government has done this by bowing to the requests of the local publishing companies and Australian authors who lobbied for keeping the 30 day rule in place. See Books win for authors and publishers and Books decision a windfall for Amazon, says Fels from the Sydney Morning Herald for details of the decision.

The argument is that this 30 day rule protects Australian authors and ensures that their works will be published. Rot. Does anyone think that Matthew Reilly or Colleen McCulloch and company will really have trouble being published? Goodness, English publishers will publish works written by Swedish authors and then translated into English so if the story is good, it will be published.

It comes down to this. If writing is art, then no protection is needed – indeed, as art, no protection is desirable. If writing is business, then it can learn to compete like all other business has to.

Damn fool thing to keep in place. Write to your member of parliament and complain!