Many of Australia's publishers now belong to a parent multinational company based in the US that is slowly reducing the number of Australian authors on its payroll.

Our education systems are slowly moving towards having imported books, with universities now using almost all imported books, and high schools progressing down this path. About 100% of software in the education system is also imported, with much of it coming from a US company that also has the world's record for monopoly business practices.

The future for Australian authors, either fiction or non-fiction is grim, and much of our other media such as film and music is also being slowly eradicated.

Lovely to see an article by the PM.

The Arts are important, particularly in respect to access, however there is room for a discussion about how much governments should be involved. There is much room for art and culture from individuals and communities as in a recent article on OLO. Access to art including literature, can be facilitated by governments ensuring art curriculums are rich across all education sectors.

Much of the literary, art and cultural awards are facilitiated by private business and foundations, some of whom receive no government assistance.

As an aside, Dymocks is thinking about moving their online bookshop offshore because they are struggling to compete with overseas book sellers like Amazon due to GST obligations by Australian businesess.

This will also reduce the number of jobs in Australia within this industry (albeit not authors per se).

PM:
<I believe that the arts profoundly define the sense of who we are, how we see the world and how the world sees us in turn>
<It is the Government’s profound belief that the arts belong to every Australian and every opportunity must be taken to ensure the arts are open and accessible to all.>

Dear Julia,
there is nothing "profound" about yours or your government's patronage of the arts. The arts used to be an honourable institution that reflected the "artist's" profound reflections on life, the universe and everything. Later, art reflected what was "wrong" about culture. Under government patronage and populism, art is reduced to commodity, or what you euphemistically call a "more pragmatic definition".
Instead of celebrating decadent/depressive Australian culture, as you pay it to do, so you can waffle on about the "Australian way" and all that nauseating crap, the arts should be exposing the degradation and exploitation of the artist, or else the emptiness and meanness of Australian "bought" culture (and sporting success).
I wish the government would halt all funding to the arts (and sport!) so that Australians could perceive the poverty of their lives and their culture and the artist would be inspired anew. The true artist is a bipolar, tortured soul; rebelling against the evils of the times and fascinated simultaneously, not some paid entertainer turning out cheap tricks for board!
As for your percentile celebration of reading; it's a shame so few know how to read critically, or author's to write critically. No, it's all just one big celebration of how "great" we are, isn't it?
I'm a Labor voter and I despise this flagrant, disingenuous, toadying and support for a system of patronage you ought to despise.
Please don't think we're all as shallow as the centre you pander to.

Julia ,I think that your Govt is the worst in living memory.You said before the elections we would not have a carbon tax.Within weeks it was back on the agenda.We have a litany of Govt waste,lies, imcompetence and you try to charm us with a feel good article on the arts.

The Labor Party lost its way a long time ago and I see it decaying even further.When will you govern for the people?

In the regional town where I live we have been recently flooded with money for sporting clubs of all shapes an sizes,donated by the state labor government, but nothing for the arts. I am pleased to see that someone is at least talking about this imbalance Where is our Poet Laureate? Where is our Literary Hero?

The same discussion should be had for both Art and Sport, particularly the money handed out to assist 'big' sport of which the sole purpose is profit and while the taxpayer forks out, these clubs continue to pay out large sums of money in executive salaries and to players. Why is the taxpayer funding grants and upgrades under these conditions

It's all about bums on seats when it comes to government patronage (no offence to the bums). The Arts are never going to have a big following and the funding follows suit. The market dictates everything. Of course we have to have "culture"; it creates the illusion that we're all blissfully happy cultivating our Australianess. Government patronage also cultivates subscription, so it's a good investment.
And by fating our sporting heroes and divas (same thing) we also enlist them as patriots and role models. It's a wonderful example of social evolution. These same exemplary role models then go on to be Australians and fathers/mothers of the year, national coaches, selectors, politicians and general drones and mouthpieces for the status quo. Witness John Alexander, Rob De Costello, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and on and on and on. High culture, sport or the arts, keep the masses mesmerised.
Raise the dust, your poet Laureate is Les Murray; he keeps the legend alive. I wish he wouldn't!

It is a shame that the PM does not read more books on Islam to better inform her policy direction on immigration.
Might I suggest Wafa Sultan's "A God Who Hates" or "Stealth Jihad" by Robert Spencer?

Dear Prime Minister,

I'm a sceptic

I believe this article is a simple distraction and deflection.

Here is why!

I wonder why you, as reported in the media, at the last minute, took off to a meeting in Portugal, where we were always going to be largely irrelevant to it's outcome ... while in Sydney that same weekend the 'faceless men' of the labor party were discussing the next few months strategy of the Parliamentary Labor Party (also as reported in the media)? Why were you not included?

It strikes me that given your standing in the current polls, as reported in the media, you have a lower standing than former PM Kevin Rudd, that they were more likely to this week both Graham Richardson and Mark Arfrib have publicly bought into question your agenda(or more exactly your lack of it) and thence indirectly your leadership?

Isn't this what happened to former PM Kevin Rudd? When are you going to back flip on Gay Marriage and NBN?

ie The 'faceless men' spent months discussing former PM Kevin Rudd's falling in the polls and his stances on key policy issues as the labor biased Australia media spent months ignoring those issues, even though everyone was quite aware of the disquiet.

How is that for an unbiased estimate PM?

I reckon it is a case of the faceless lost trying to find the way for the Government that's still lost it's way. I reckon all they are able to do is revert to what they've found convienent in the past and has produced results for them. If they don't ... well you've lost the next election any way.

Whatda ya recken Julya and btw isn't the Arts Simon Crean's responsibility?

Well said Arjay.

Further to your comments, I wonder what’s happening about Gillard’s purported dislike of Rudd’s ‘Big Australia’, as clearly stated shortly after her ascendancy?

There hasn’t been a hint of a change of policy or a redirection towards a stable population or a significantly lower rate of immigration or anything of the sort, has there?

--

An article about the arts from our PM?

<< …a simple distraction and deflection >>

Yep, I reckon you’re right Keith.

OOPS Should have read

Dear Prime Minister,

I'm a sceptic

I believe this article is a simple distraction and deflection.

Here is why!

I wonder why you, as reported in the media, at the last minute, took off to a meeting in Portugal, where we were always going to be largely irrelevant to it's outcome ... while in Sydney that same weekend the 'faceless men' of the labor party were discussing the next few months strategy of the Parliamentary Labor Party (also as reported in the media)? Why were you not included?

It strikes me that given your standing in the current polls, as reported in the media, and as you have a lower standing than former PM Kevin Rudd, that the your former 'faceless mates' were more likely to be discussing your falling poll fortunes than anything else. It is also strikingly odd that this week both Graham Richardson and Mark Arfrib have publicly bought into question your agenda(or more exactly your lack of it) and thence indirectly your leadership (or more exactly your lack of it.)

Isn't this what happened to former PM Kevin Rudd? ie The 'faceless men' and you spent months discussing former PM Kevin Rudd's falling in the polls and his stances on key policy issues as the labor biased Australia media spent months ignoring those issues, even though everyone was quite aware of the disquiet.

When are you going to back flip on Gay Marriage and NBN?

How is that for an unbiased estimate PM?

I reckon it is a case of the faceless lost trying to find the way for the Government that's still lost it's way. I reckon all they are able to do is revert to what they've found convienent in the past and has produced results for them. If they don't ... well you've lost the next election any way.

Whatda ya recken Joolya and btw isn't the Arts Simon Crean's responsibility?