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News and Advocacy

National Cultural Policy

On 2 April 2026, the Office for the Arts opened the consultation for the next National Cultural Policy. This is our best chance to communicate directly to government about the urgent need to build on the momentum achieved by Revive, and address the decades of chronic underfunding of literature. It is vital that authors and illustrators seize this rare opportunity to have their say. 

In 2023, the Albanese Government launched the National Cultural Policy Revive, which delivered key policy initiatives for authors and illustrators, including digital lending rights, the establishment of a body for literature, Writing Australia, and the introduction of an Australian Poet Laureate. However, these initiatives are only the first steps in revitalising a sector that has been sidelined for decades. 

Since the introduction of that policy, authors have been facing increasingly precarious conditions including the contraction of the Australian publishing industry, diminishing sources of income, the harmful development and widespread adoption of generative AI, and declining reading rates. Of immediate concern is AI, which is displacing creators’ work and diluting the market, consequently reducing earnings and work opportunities.

If anything, it has become more urgent to address sustainable author and illustrator careers. The next National Cultural Policy must sustain the focus on literature.

We need your help to amplify the author and illustrator voice in the National Cultural Policy Consultation.

Now is the time to get loud. The key wins for literature in Revive were achieved because of the incredible wave of submissions from authors and illustrators across the country. Like last time, we want an avalanche of submissions to hit the Office for the Arts from creators, explaining why author careers remain precarious and what the government can do to help you.

We do not want to waste this opportunity. Join us in having your say.  

What is the ASA calling for?

We’re asking for the next cultural policy to deliver:

  • Direct investment in authors and illustrators via:
    • Multi-year fellowships supporting mid-career authors by providing them with time to write.
    • Seed money for emerging writers.
    • A top up to the Lending Rights budget.
    • A basic income pilot, involving 300 authors.
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  • Investment in First Nations-led writing and publishing.

  • Solutions to the unprecedented theft of Australian authors’ work by multinational tech companies operating within Australia. For instance:
    • Transparency on copyright inputs for, and outputs from, generative AI models.
    • Research into the impact of generative AI on creative careers and Australian cultural output.
    • Structural solutions to bring multinational AI companies to the licensing table with Australian rightsholders.
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  • Tax reform to support author careers including tax-free literary prizes and grants, and a tax-free threshold for writers and illustrators.

  • Adequate resourcing for Writing Australia to deliver:
    • Increased coordination between federal and state funding.
    • Commissioning of critically-needed research to provide baseline data from which to measure impact for the book industry.
    • Express guarantees included in every funding grant, ensuring that:
      • Authors and illustrators engaged in funded projects will be paid at, or above, ASA recommended rates
      • Generative AI will not be used to replace or diminish the role of human creators in government-funded projects.
    • Coordination of a book-to-screen pipeline.
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  • Commitment to educational interventions that support Australian authors and writing careers:
    • Nationwide authors-in-schools program funded out of education budgets.
    • Reversal of the failed Job-Ready Graduates program.


What you can do

  • Make a submission before 11.59pm AEST 24 May 2026.
  1. Visit the OFTA website to review the submission guidelines.
  2. Be inspired by your fellow authors: read some quotes from the last round of consultation or the submissions made to the Creative and Cultural Industries and Institutions Inquiry by Helen Garner, Nick Earls, Gail Jones, Charlotte Wood, Christos Tsiolkas, Peter Carey, Trent Dalton, Ann James, and more. Remember, your submission does not need to be lengthy – the most important thing is that you are joining the chorus of authors and illustrators calling for greater support for the sector.
  3. Download our template letter.
  • Spread the news and encourage all of the writers and illustrators in your networks to make a submission. We are stronger when we stand together.
  • Attend our free information session on the National Cultural Policy on 14 May 2026.
REGISTER HERE

About the consultation

The Office for the Arts is embarking on a consultation process seeking submissions on the five pillars set out in Revive:

  1. First Nations first
  2. A place for every story
  3. The centrality of the artist
  4. Strong cultural infrastructure
  5. Engaging the audience

     

The new policy aims to build on the achievements of Revive while addressing emerging priorities and opportunities such as audience engagement and new technologies. 

Creators can make a submission by completing the online form, which includes space to write a statement of up to 500 words, or to upload a document with your written submission. Read more about the consultation process on the Office for the Arts website.

Book industry advocacy

Books Create Australia (BCA) is a collaboration between authors, booksellers, librarians, and publishers, driven by the founding partners: the Australian Society of Authors, the Australian Booksellers Association, the Australian Publishers Association and the Australian Libraries and Information Association. For the next National Cultural Policy, Books Create Australia is calling for a National Plan for Books and reading to ensure Australian stories, ideas, and knowledge are created, discovered, read, and valued.

READ THE BCA NATIONAL PLAN

How you can help

  • If you haven't already, consider joining the ASA. The ASA's lobbying efforts in Canberra would not be possible without our members' support. The more voters we can show we represent, the clearer our voice will be heard by the politicians with the power to make change.
BECOME A MEMBER
  • Alternatively, if you're already a member or prefer to contribute without joining the ASA, you can donate to our Endowment Fund. Donations to the Endowment Fund go towards supporting the ASA to lobby and campaign for the rights and professional interests of authors and illustrators.
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