The Tasmania University Union’s new President, Clark Cooley, today has launch a new campaign to fight against the high cost of textbooks for students at the University of Tasmania. The “Cheaper Textbook”s campaign will centre around the removal of Parallel Import Restrictions (PIR) on books.
Current restrictions place a high cost on retailers who are forced to buy textbooks from Australian publishers, and in turn, these costs are passed onto students and the wider community. The 2015 Harper Competition Policy Review recommended that Parallel Import Restrictions be lifted, to ease the burden on book consumers. This echoed the 2009 Productivity Commission Report which recommended the removal of PIR.
“Coming into a new academic year, students are once again faced with the high cost of purchasing new textbooks. These represent a major upfront and unavoidable cost” Clark Cooley, President of the Tasmania University Union said.
Mr. Cooley continued “Restrictions on the purchase of textbooks from overseas for retailers increases the cost for students to attain higher education. Books in Australia cost up to 35% more than in the United States with textbooks the largest upfront expense to university education”
“We’ve seen the impact of the removal of PIR in New Zealand where prices fell. Current prices are a significant burden for those who want to undertake a university education, effecting those who can least afford the cost.”
The Tasmania University Union (TUU) was founded in 1899 as the state-wide representative body for all students of the University of Tasmania. The TUU seeks to advance the rights and protect the interests of students by ensuring the their voices are heard by parliamentarians, policy makers, university leadership and the wider community.
www.tuu.com.au
Clark Cooley President Tasmania University Union
