The Albanese Labor Government has today announced the appointment of Ms Rachel Bin Salleh as a member of the Public Lending Right Committee, as the Australian publisher representative.
The committee is responsible for determining eligibility and approving payments under the Public and Educational Lending Right Schemes, which compensate Australian creators and publishers for the free multiple use of their books in public and educational libraries.
Ms Bin Salleh is currently the publisher at Magabala Books, Australia's leading First Nations publishing house.
Publishing up to 18 new titles annually across a range of genres, Magabala Books is committed to developing new and emerging First Nations writers, illustrators and storytellers.
Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said Ms Bin Salleh's years working in publishing equipped her with the right skills to make a strong contribution the committee.
"The Public Lending Rights Committee plays a crucial role in ensuring that writers and publishers are appropriately compensated for their work - including from 2024 for the first time, thanks to changes made by this Government, digital works such as audiobooks and e-books.
"Rachel is an advocate of new and emerging First Nations writers and her extensive experience within the industry will be a great asset to the committee."
Ms Rachel Bin Salleh is a Nimunburr and Yawuru woman from the Kimberley region of Western Australia who is passionate about First Nations people telling their stories. Ms Bin Salleh is the publisher at Magabala Books in Broome and has worked in publishing for more than 30 years. Published in 2018, her debut picture book, Alfred's War, tells the story of Alfred and the lack of recognition and equality for returned WWI First Nations servicemen. In 2020 Ms Bin Salleh was awarded the inaugural Writing WA Literary Lions Medal for services to literature.
