Authors, booksellers fear Productivity Commission plans to allow cheap foreign imports

Authors and booksellers have slammed a proposal by the Productivity Commission that would change rules preventing the unrestricted import of books into Australia.

In a report out today, the Commission says current import restrictions on books are the analogue equivalent of "geoblocking" - the same way that consumers are stopped from accessing overseas streaming sites like Netflix.

The Australian Society of Authors warns a flood cheap imported books would hurt Australian authors and threaten the two billion dollar industry.

I spoke with the Society's chief executive Juliette Rogers on The World Today