Newman won't recognise QLD writers

It's Australian Author Month and Premier Newman has shown how much he appreciates his state's author by scraping the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.

In the month where we should be celebrating the achievements of our country's writers, we have instead been greeted with this.

It shows that he doesn't value the importance of having a strong local publishing industry so that children, teenagers and adults can read stories by Queensland writers. The awards give valueable recognition to a section of society that contributes greatly to our culture.


This also shows that Newman has little understanding about how hard it is to be a writer in Australia and how little most writers earn from their craft. Awards, such as the now defunct QLD ones, and scholarships provide writers with a way to supplement their income.

As an emerging Queensland writer I'm disappointed that Newman has made the Arts a target. The savings that are being made are very small in the overall picture of the budget. It's equivilent to the base pay of two local MPs, yet the prize money is shared amongst multiple authors.

I want a head of state who embraces the Arts and Literature and supports local writers. I want a head of state who acknowledges the importance of books with local content and by local writers. I want a head of state who doesn't cut a small amount of funding to an already underfunded part of the community.


I urge who loves books to make your views known.

Sign this petition to the Premier.
Vote in this poll (open until 5 April).
Email the Premier: thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au
Write on his Facebook Wall.
You can also join in the comments and poll on the Courier Mail.

I hope the awards in other states and the Prime Minister's awards will be kept safety and not follow this poor example.

Feel free to vent with me in the comments.