Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I love books, I love libraries, and I love Australian stories. I am one of the chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Books and Reading, and I am so proud to be part of a Labor government that backs Australian stories, libraries and authors every step of the way. This bill, Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026, is an important step in recognising and supporting Australian creators and publishers who are committed to telling, preserving and amplifying important stories.

Australian stories really matter. They reflect who we are and they help shape who we become, and they've certainly shaped me. I wouldn't be who I am without Australian books and stories. I think of some of my favourites like Looking for Alibrandi, which is incredibly important to an Australian Italian person like myself. I think of The Getting of Wisdom, My Brilliant Career, Playing Beatie Bow and Robin Klein's Penny Pollard books. I think of Hazel Edwards, who lives in my electorate, and her book There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake. I think of the Mary Poppins stories written by an Australian author, Pamela Lyndon Travers. I think of the work by friends of mine, including my dear friend Chloe Wilson who's just launched her first fiction work The Thornbacks. These Australian stories really matter. They amplify our experiences and preserve our voices, making sure that the world takes note of our voices and our stories.

Stories challenge us, educate us and inspire us. Literature has a great power to help us understand the world as seen through the eyes of another. When we talk about social cohesion, this is really, really important. Behind everyone of these stories is a creator, a person who has dedicated years of work, research, creativity and persistence to producing something of real value for the Australian public to enjoy. Australian authors pay a fundamental and often undervalued role in our society.

Before entering this place, I studied literature, including Australian literature, at university. I worked as an academic and as a researcher, and I know how important authors are. Without authors, without people willing to dedicate themselves to knowledge, evidence, storytelling and scholarship—this is not just about fiction work here; we're talking about Australian non-fiction too—our society would be profoundly different. Australian authors inform public debate, often provoke public debate. Australian authors inform government and inform policy. Whether it is in the area of health research, environmental science, economics, education, Indigenous history or social policy, as well as fiction of course, authors make an extraordinary contribution to our national landscape. Australian writers help define our culture by telling local stories in local voices. These are stories about our suburbs, our regions, our environment, our workplaces, our schools and our communities. They are stories that Australians can see themselves in and can understand the history of our nation through. These things really matter. If Australians don't tell Australian stories, the stories will disappear.

We all have, in this place, a responsibility to back Australian stories and creativity where we can. In my very first speech in this place I spoke about the importance of valuing culture and ensuring that this was something that the government saw as a priority, and I'm really pleased that our government does see this as a priority. For a long time public and educational lending rights have existed to ensure that Australian creators and publishers are fairly paid when their books are made available through public and educational libraries. They recognise something which is really important, which is that access to books should never come at the expense of the people who create them.

I think this is a good moment to reflect on how important libraries are as one of the great democratic institutions in this country. Sir Redmond Barry helped establish the State Library Victoria and in fact lived where my electorate now is, on the Syndal Estate. My office is just over the road from Syndal train station, which is of course named after his estate. But his legacy is not just about the names of places in our community. It's about the wonderful local institutions, like libraries, that we're all able to access. I can't think of many libraries in my electorate that I haven't spent time in as a school student or a university student, or since. I used the space to read, to study and to learn.

It is amazing what libraries offer to all of us. They're places where every Australian, regardless of income or background, can access literature, education and information and can connect with others through book clubs and other community groups. We should be very proud of our libraries here, in Australia. I think it is really fair and reasonable that when works are borrowed thousands of times through libraries the people responsible for creating those works do receive compensation for their contributions, and that's what this bill seeks to do.

This bill brings the public lending right and educational lending right schemes into a single contemporary legislative framework. It replaces the Public Lending Right Act 1985 and ensures that these important programs remain fit for purpose in a rapidly changing world, where we consume books and literature in different ways. The existing schemes have served Australia really well for decades, but we know that the way we access books has changed significantly since the 1980s. As we evolve, our laws need to follow suit.

We know that Australians increasingly borrow ebooks and audiobooks alongside traditionally printed works. Digital collections are now a normal part of our libraries and educational institutions, and they make it easier for a lot of people to access books and reading. Through Revive, our national cultural policy, the Albanese government has invested in modernising lending rights so that creators are recognised and compensated for the use of their works across these contemporary formats. This bill secures those reforms into legislation and provides a modern framework for the future. It ensures that lending rights schemes continue to adapt alongside technological change while continuing to support Australian creators and strengthen our cultural life.

There's another important principle that lies at the heart of this legislation, which is that creative work has incredible value. An author's creativity is their property, and when that work is used through a public library loan or within an educational setting it's entirely reasonable and right that the creator receives payment. We would not expect other workers to provide their labour for free simply because the public benefits from it. Creative workers deserve that same respect and deserve to be seen as workers, and their labour should be valued.

Not every person, of course, who writes a book seeks to become a full-time author. We know that. Many writers balance their creative work with other jobs and responsibilities. But it is telling that the average income for an Australian writer in 2021-22 was reportedly just $16,100. I think that figure really demonstrates the economic reality facing many creators in this country. Whilst writing is of course incredibly valuable work, both socially and culturally, it's not always valued in the same way financially. It's not always secure work, financially.

We know this legislation will not solve every challenge facing Australian authors, but it is one of the concrete things we can do as a government to provide meaningful support. We know that every bit of support matters. In the 2024-25 financial year alone, more than 17,000 payments were made to eligible Australian creators and publishers through these schemes and totalled $28 million. That is significant. For many authors, illustrators, translators, editors and publishers, these payments are not simply a bonus; they are a reliable and meaningful source of income which helps creators continue their work and helps keep books in publication, which is really important, so that we can continue to enjoy these stories and this knowledge. These payments help ensure Australian stories continue to be written, published and shared with future generations.

It's also really important, I think, to reflect on the origins of these schemes and the intent of these schemes. In 1974, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam approved the Public Lending Right Scheme with a clear and principled vision of fairness. He was, of course, a great champion of the arts. It was recognition that Australian culture does not simply happen by accident; it requires investment and support. It requires governments willing to value creative work as an essential part of national life. More than 50 years later, that remains the case, as it did then, because culture is not a luxury; it is an essential part of who we are as a nation. Through democratic institutions such as libraries, we are able to access culture in really meaningful ways right across communities in Australia.

There's something profoundly important about a young Australian picking up a book and seeing themselves reflected in its pages—seeing their community, seeing the way they live their lives, hearing languages and reading about experiences that feel familiar to them. It's also really important to understand your own country through the eyes of someone who has a different experience of Australia. Again, that is really important for social cohesion.

Every time I visit a school or early learning centre, the optimism and curiosity of our youngest Australians really excite me as a community representative, and I always try and take the time to read stories and share in finding out what books young people are interested in. Recently, I visited the Bambini Early Learning Centre in my electorate, and I got to read Wombat Stew, which is one of my old favourites from when I was a very young person. It really does teach us about creativity, resourcefulness and Australian life. It's wonderful when reading these books to see young people learn in real time. I think that Australian stories are really worth fighting for. For all of us, they're worth fighting for, but this is especially important for young people growing up in regional communities, multicultural communities and First Nations communities, for whom the connection, identity and understanding we build are so significant.

We know that public libraries and school libraries play an enormous role in making access to experiences, information and culture possible, so this legislation is fairly balanced in recognising the importance of public access to books and the importance of properly supporting the people who create them. Governments and parliaments have a responsibility not only to support economic growth and infrastructure but also to support the cultural institutions and creative industries that enrich our national life and make life worth living. A stronger Australia is not only measured in economic terms; it's measured by the strength of our ideas, our stories, our education and our cultural confidence. The core of this bill ensures that Australian creators are recognised, modernising our lending rights framework for the future and reinforcing the principle that creative work deserves real respect and fair compensation.

The Albanese Labor government understands the importance of backing Australian creators. We understand the importance of ensuring Australian stories continue to thrive in schools, libraries, homes and communities right across the country, and we understand that supporting authors and publishers is an absolute investment in Australia's cultural and economic future. This is thoughtful legislation. It is practical and it is necessary reform. It strengthens an important system that has supported Australian creators for decades, and it ensures the system remains effective, modern and sustainable for decades to come. I look forward to reading many more Australian stories and learning more about this wonderful country of ours through reading. I commend the bills to the House.

See this speech in context