Have you ever wondered why our textbooks cost so much?

Well, it’s mostly because of the inflationary pressures produced by Parallel Import Restrictions (or PIRs for short), which restrict the importation of foreign printed textbooks with the exact same content. This means that publishers and printers in Australia can name their price, leaving students with a nasty bill at the start of each semester.

Unfortunately, many of us cannot afford to foot the bill for excessively priced textbooks - either we are earning a limited income or we’ve moved out of home, so expenses like rent, food and bills come first. We could of course try going to the library to access our required readings for each subject, but quite often there are only a few copies of the required course materials in the library. 

This could leave many of us without the essential content we need to complete assessments and do well in our studies, which can impact both our grades and ultimately make the goal of graduating much more difficult than it needs to be. 

So, what can we do about?

Sign the petition today to ask the Federal Government and the Federal Opposition to stand with students and make our time at university cheaper by repealing PIRs on textbooks. 

You can also share your textbook story by uploading a photo or tweet using the hashtag #CheaperTextbooksNow

For more information contact:

Robby Magyar - National Welfare Officer of the National Union of Students
Email: welfare@nus.asn.au