Wonderful wonderful news today – especially if you are an Australian author, illustrator or publisher. The Australian government has decided NOT to alter the rules regarding Parallel Importation restrictions (PIR) for books. The minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs, Craig Emerson, this morning issued a press release announcing this decision – you can read the release here.

You can also read more about the celebrations on the Saving Aussie Books blog – and, if you’ve hiding under a rock for the past year and don’t know about this debate, you can browse the same blog for loads of information.

Or, you can simply join me in celebrating a victory for commonsense. One great way to celebrate is to go to your local bookstore and buy an Aussie book. Let’s support the bookstores and ensure their longevity. Independent bookstores, especially, would have been adversely affected by these changes – yet they are the bookstores which seem to actually know about, and support Australian books.

So, what are you waiting for? Start partying – and reading. Aussie Aussie Aussie!