Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Libraries are the beating hearts of our communities. They are a crucial education resource for children and families, particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, who would otherwise not have access to such a wide range of reading. In this way, libraries are a vital component of our educational landscape. When children have free access to the shelves of a library, we know that they have improved rates of literacy, and who can really argue against free access to books? Who can really argue against children reading more? Something as simple as a library card can literally change a person's life. But behind the free access to knowledge, we are obligated to compensate those who produce this knowledge—writers, authors, publishers.

This debate seeks to replace the Public Lending Right Act 1985 and its associated scheme with the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026 in order to provide for a unified and modern legislative framework. In 1974, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam introduced a public lending scheme. His goal was to encourage broader reading in the Australian community and elevate Australian voices and stories all while ensuring that authors, publishers and illustrators were paid fairly and equitably because Australia has some of the best writers in the world, from Alexis Wright, one of our leading Indigenous voices, to JM Coetzee, an Australian Nobel Prize winner in literature.

Because PM Whitlam was committed to education for all as a way of bettering our country and providing opportunity for all, the public lending scheme also meant that everyone in our Australian community would have access. Since 1974, incremental changes have been made in the way of updating the scheme to adapt to contemporary technological changes and innovations, and we now have ebooks, audiobooks and other such digital platforms.

A national survey of Australian book authors in 2022 found the average annual income of an Australian author was around $18,200, ranging from about $5,000 for poets up to about $28,000 for youth authors. This is well below minimum wage. This is not to mention the growing prominence of self-publishing, and even when an author chooses to go down this route, which is precarious to begin with, their success does not necessarily, and in fact often doesn't, translate into financial security or stability. This isn't good enough. Full-time writers often rely on their royalties as their only source of income, which, given the average income of $18,200, means that for every writer who is making a good living from their writing, there are many, many others making very little.

If we expect—and I think we all expect this—a thriving literary culture in Australia, we need to be able to financially support those who are at the very heart of it. The reality is that free books reduce direct sales, affecting all those in the chain of production, including publishers, booksellers, agents and translators. Lending rights ensure that authors are paid where their works are freely available in public and educational libraries. In 2024-25, more than 17,000 payments were made to creators and publishers because of the scheme, amounting to more than $28 million. In other words, it is this scheme that has allowed writers to thrive and good stories to be shared. It enables writers to be paid, as they should be, for their work, their ideas, their time and their IP.

This bill consolidates the Education Lending Rights and the Public Lending Rights into a single legislative framework. The Education Lending Rights Scheme is in fact not currently enshrined in legislation. It adopts many of the features and definitions of the existing legislation while taking into account changes to the way Australians today read. We will modernise and streamline lending rights governance and administration, including the creation of a new public and educational lending rights committee. An associated bill, the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions Bill 2026, will ensure that the old and new schemes are cohesive and consistent.

This bill is part of the Albanese Labor government's national cultural policy, Revive. Revive seeks to not only support Australian writers and literature but protect this invaluable part of our national culture and heritage. Under Revive, we aim to modernise lending rights that reflect the rapid changes in the way we all read, changes that align, for example, with the developments in new digital formats like ebooks and audiobooks. Writers deserve to be compensated for their hard work and for the hours they spend whittling away in the creation of their stories, stories which speak to the times and will stand the test of time.

That is why the Albanese Labor government has also invested in Creative Australia, providing grants and funding for authors who are in the midst of creating a new work. This funding is essential. It gives writers the breathing space to write, time to write and financial stability. It recognises the value of what they do and the value of their creativity, and it enables them to continue their work writing Australian stories, Australian nonfiction, Australian voices. In fact, in the 2026-27 budget, Creative Australia will receive an increase of $14.7 million in funding, from $311.8 million to 326.5 million.

At its core, this legislation is about recognising the value of Australian stories and the people who create them. One thing I've noticed from visiting schools across Boothby is that books still matter deeply to young people. You see it in the questions that they ask, you see it in the way they connect stories to their own lives and communities, and you see it when the conversations about books turn into bigger conversations about fairness, identity, belonging and the kind of country we want to be. When I visit schools to talk about democracy and civic participation, I'm always struck by how closely literacy and engagement are connected. Students who read widely are often the students asking thoughtful questions, challenging ideas and thinking critically about the world around them. That matters, particularly at a time when misinformation and division can spread so quickly online. Reading is not just about literacy; it's also about participation. It's about helping young people understand different perspectives, think critically and engage confidently in public life. These skills do not appear by accident; they are built through education, through conversation, through stories and, yes, through reading.

Many Australians would remember growing up with the work of Mem Fox, a resident of my electorate of Boothby. Her books have been part of childhoods across Australia for generations. They've been read at bedtime, in classrooms and in libraries right across the country. That is the extraordinary thing about books. A story written by one person can become part of millions of people's lives. It can shape childhood memories and a lifelong love of reading. I recently attended the launch of the book God is an Apricot by Boothby author Robert Moore, set around the Shepherds Hill Recreation Park in my electorate. What struck me was how familiar it was—the suburbs, the atmosphere, the small details of everyday life in communities like ours. Not every important story is set in New York or London, and not every important Australian story is set in Sydney or Melbourne—or Canberra. Some are set in suburbs like ours, around beaches, sporting clubs, parks, schools and shopping strips people in Boothby would recognise immediately, and these stories matter too.

Over the past few years, I've also had the opportunity to attend local book launches and literary events celebrating South Australian authors and storytellers, including Lainie Anderson, Mercedes Mercier, Jennifer Mackenzie Dunbar and Daniel O'Neill. I particularly want to acknowledge Becky Lucas and Mike Lucas from Shakespeare's Bookshop in Blackwood and Charmaine Power from Mostly Books in Mitcham, two independent booksellers in my electorate who have built a genuine community around books and reading and who support our local authors—because books are not just about publishing; they're also about community. Places like the Mitcham library, the Tiwu Kumangka library, the Marion library and the Holdfast Bay Community Centre library are not simply places to borrow books; they are places where children discover reading, where older Australians stay connected to their communities and where people can access stories, learning, information and ideas, regardless of their background or income. Libraries are one of the best things we have. They are welcoming places, equalising places, places of learning and connection.

In a past life, when I worked in local government, I had libraries in my portfolio, and they were always some of the most popular services that we provided to the local community. Libraries are places to come together, places to find out information, places to learn, places to find an amusing or entertaining book and places to just sit and relax. This legislation is not about choosing between libraries and authors. We need both. Public libraries are an essential part of community life and should remain free and accessible. But creators should not be invisible within that system. This bill streamlines and modernises Australia's public and educational lending rights framework to ensure authors are fairly recognised when their works are held in libraries and educational institutions. It's a practical legislation, but it reflects something much bigger about what we value as a country, because governments make choices about what matters. These bills say Australian stories matter, literacy matters, creative work matters, and art work—writing—is real work and should be paid.

People often see the finished product sitting on a shelf, but they do not see the years of work behind it—the research, the editing, the rewriting and the uncertainty. For many Australian writers, writing is done alongside other jobs, family responsibilities and everyday life. Very few authors become wealthy from publishing books, but their contribution to our cultural and educational life is enormous. If we want future generations of Australian writers to continue telling Australian stories, we need systems that make creative work more sustainable. Australian stories help preserve Australian identity. They reflect our humour, our landscapes, our history and the everyday experiences that shape our communities across the country. They help young people see themselves reflected in the stories they read, and they help all of us better understand one another.

Books do not appear by accident; they exist because someone decided a story was worth telling. Libraries enrich our communities and authors enrich our national life. This legislation recognises that both matter. If we value Australian stories, we must also value the Australians who write them. I commend the bills to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation announced.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.

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