Philip Andersen, CEO of Printing Industries says that if implemented by the Federal Government, the recommendations would devastate Australia’s book printing industry and have a flow-on effect into all other sectors of the industry.

He says, “This poll, by such an influential organisation, is an important key to showing our industry’s opposition to the Productivity Commission recommendations and highlighting to the public in general that this is not a simplistic issue of price, which many book sellers would have you believe.”

Andersen continues, “We are already lobbying the Government and opposition parties and I will raise the issue in person with the minister for innovation, industry, science and research, Kim Carr, when he attends the NSW CEO Forum next week.”

Andersen adds that the poll now gives everyone the opportunity to have their say and to actively make a difference. People accessing the online poll would be given five options to answer the question – allowing the parallel importation of books will:

• Spell the end of the specialist book store

• Be good for the book buying public

• Kill off the Australian book publishing industry

• Only benefit the leading book Chains

• Other

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