AGP Executive Report

Audit shake-up: Insurance Australia Group will exclude KPMG from a 2027 audit tender after the firm’s long-running scandal over audit partner misuse of client data. Publishing & books: ABC Radio National is running a drive to find Australia’s “100 best Australian books of all time”, with nominations due Oct 1 and the live countdown on Oct 17–18—an antidote to overseas-heavy lists. Indigenous education loss: Tasmanian Aboriginal elder Aunty Patsy Cameron AO has died aged 79, remembered for decades of work improving educational outcomes and preserving culture. Children’s reading push: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library marks Give Like Dolly Day on Sept 25, with local partners including Laurens County First Steps reporting growing enrolments. Print industry support: Durst Oceania becomes a Platinum sponsor of the Penrith Museum of Printing, backing workshops and preservation of working letterpress machinery. Tech & media policy: Mumbrellacast flags proposed Australian AI-and-copyright changes that could force publishers to actively block scraping.

AI & Publishing Culture War: A new “Eye on AI” roundup says the fight over AI regulation is hardening into a culture war, with OpenAI/Anthropic backing slower development, independent evaluators and shared safety standards, while Meta/Nvidia push back on the premise. AI Safety Book Buzz: A review of Garrison Lovely’s Obsolete argues the left and AI safety movement need to talk more, as the book targets how AI risks are debated. Reading Lists Debate: ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Australian Books countdown is underway, sparking renewed argument over whether best-of lists are reductive—or still useful for discovery and sales. Local Literacy & Books: A US community fundraiser for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (linked to the program’s book gifting mission) reports it exceeded a $19,500 goal and is now in a matching-grant push. Royal Memoir Fallout: Claims from Princess Diana’s brother Earl Spencer about King Charles’ reaction after her death keep the royal publishing story in the headlines.

Australian publishing & media: Amazon Ads ANZ used its Upfront to flag bigger Prime Video ad-supported reach (5.5m+ monthly viewers in Australia) and new partnerships and ad solutions for brands. Book world events: Between The Covers Live! is touring with Agatha Christie celebrations, featuring Nigel Havers and Christie’s great-grandson James Prichard (Oxford Playhouse 6 Oct; High Wycombe Swan 7 Oct). Local book culture: A Lincoln, UK couple behind Inkstone Books has opened a physical shop specialising in limited editions and signed sci-fi/fantasy. Publishing industry staffing: Ipsos Australia appointed Erik Heller as CEO, with Simon Wake moving to an Asia Pacific audience measurement leadership role. Australia policy hitting readers: Home Affairs says international student dependants (partners/children) will be barred from bringing a second visa, as part of net migration targets. Health & research (book-adjacent): Adelaide University researchers report an AI tool that may speed identification of advanced endometriosis from pelvic scans.

AI & Copyright: Proposed Australian rules could let AI firms scrape Australians’ online content if they strike deals with rights groups, with opt-outs likely limited and messy. Child Safety & Sentencing: A coalition behind “Stop Demand” says major parties are being asked to scrap “good character” sentence reductions for child sex offenders after NSW reforms. Defence & Policy Watch: ASPI’s “Fault Lines” flags rising defence spending in Japan and South Korea, with AI, drones and missile defence featuring in budget requests. Publishing & Books: Bloomsbury announces a major edited volume on the Armenian Genocide’s concentration camps, bringing together scholars and survivor writings. Tech for Readers: Clear River Games previews a 2027 re-release of Terranigma on Switch 2 and other platforms. Literacy Programs: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library keeps expanding, with Lyons Township bringing monthly free books to young residents. Gaming & Math: QCI will showcase “The Math That Gaming Made” Book 16 at G2E 2026. Book Culture: A WA debut manuscript on Australian wildlife conservation lands Hungerford Award finalist status amid a record submission pool.

Publishing Leadership: Dialogue (Hachette) has named Yassine Belkacemi publishing director, effective Nov 2026, as Hannah Chukwu steps down after a Churchill Fellowship on inclusive English curriculum reform. AI & Newsrooms: News Corp’s Herald Sun in Victoria is outsourcing local stories to AI “assistance”, with human editors checking before publication. AI Copyright Fight: Leaked details of an Albanese-era proposal suggest an “opt-out” model for AI training, shifting the burden onto individuals and sparking renewed artist/publisher alarm. Books & Culture: ANN has released a new Asia-focused heritage e-book, while Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor’s latest book continues the debate on tech, power and “end times” fascism. Reading & Policy (NZ): A New Zealand book-sector coalition calls for more coordinated government funding and a “Year of Reading” push. Tech in Publishing Ecosystems: Lifecykel’s move from Xero/spreadsheets to NetSuite with Annexa highlights how operational software supports international scaling.

Armenian Genocide Scholarship: Bloomsbury has published The Concentration Camps of the Armenian Genocide, a 500-page collection edited by Bedross Der Matossian and Edita Gzoyan, arguing the Ottoman camp system in places like Deir ez-Zor and Ras al-Ayn remains “insufficiently studied” and adding 21 chapters plus survivor memoirs and diaries. Publishing & Reading Culture: A separate report highlights research that reading for pleasure can boost mental health and cognitive performance, with book clubs and reading groups offering extra social benefits. Online Age Checks Push: The EU is preparing the “EU Kids Act”, moving toward age verification for social media, video platforms, risky online games and AI chatbots, with a minimum age of 15 for autonomous accounts and parent-controlled access below that. Water Rights Debate: Northern Territory water law is under fire after a major groundwater licence granted to Fortune Agribusiness threatens springs and sacred sites near Alice Springs, with critics warning reforms could weaken Indigenous water rights. Book & Publishing Events: La Trobe University Press has a new Pacific-focused title, A new vision for Australia’s relationship with the Pacific, positioning storytelling as a way to replace “amnesia” with respect and humility.

Hungerford Award (WA): Four Western Australian writers have been shortlisted for the Hungerford Award, with 128 submissions—the biggest pool in 35 years—featuring debut fiction, narrative non-fiction and verse. Local Author Events (Wimmera): Stawell and St Arnaud libraries are lining up major talks from Michael Robotham, Monica McInerney and Peter FitzSimons, with free buses for attendees. ACT Leisure Site (Big Splash): The ACT Government will commission a taxpayer-funded options study to find a viable buyer for the Big Splash site after a failed sale and doubts over reopening by 1 November. Publishing & Festivals (Adelaide Writers’ Week): Min Jin Lee (Pachinko) is announced as the featured opening-night author for 2027, following the 2026 festival’s cancellation amid controversy. Book-to-Community (Return and Earn x The Smith Family): Sydney residents can turn eligible cans and bottles into children’s book packs, with $200,000 targeted before Nov 23. Print Industry (ProPrint): The first 2026 ProPrint Emerging 50 recipients have been revealed, spotlighting early-career talent across print roles. Book Publishing (Armenian Genocide): Bloomsbury announces a new edited volume, The Concentration Camps of the Armenian Genocide, with chapters and survivor writings. Media/Policy (OpenAI copyright): Australia’s government is downplaying OpenAI’s push to relax copyright rules for AI training, after the company threatened to change its local plans. Business Failure (Cue & Veronika Maine): Fashion brands Cue and Veronika Maine have been placed into receivership and management after a “difficult period.”

Literacy & Children’s Books: Darwin educator and children’s author Poppy Yayakos joins the World Literacy Foundation’s Sun Books: Global Children’s Library as an Author Patron, expanding her community pop-up libraries and book donations into more languages. Publishing & Community Giving: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library backs a new global fundraiser, Give Like Dolly Day (Sept 25), spotlighting local partners that mail free books to children under five. Education Policy: NSW moves to cap classroom screen time from 2027, aiming to lift reading and maths outcomes as schools report record-low performance. Student Visas & Universities: One Nation proposes cutting temporary visa holders and international student intake by 750,000 over three years, warning it could “decimate” the university sector that relies on foreign student fees. Tech & Reading Access: Microsoft Outlook users report fresh login and syncing problems, including Australia-based complaints of being unable to log in for days. Book Culture: A new Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction-winning work, “A Piece of Red Cloth,” highlights Indigenous collaboration and storytelling.

Australian publishing & books: Aotearoa’s literacy push gets a big boost with 10,000 free te reo Māori children’s books (gifted via kura, kōhanga reo, refuges and kaupapa Māori organisations) as part of a wider, multi-language project tackling family violence and giving kids language to “put it down.” Local culture & crime history: Melbourne’s “Little Lon” crime-and-grog past gets retold through a walking history tour, with author Michael Shelford spotlighting the area’s notorious figures and how today’s “covers” echo old ones. Publishing in the spotlight: Greek-Australian communities mark the launch of Iakovos Garivaldis’ new book, “Sounds of Eastern Thrace – Voices in the Debris,” presented in Melbourne with La Trobe University’s Greek Studies program. Media/TV adaptation: Marian Keyes’ Walsh Sisters return for Season 2, with RTÉ and BBC ordering again and the series streaming on Stan in Australia. Business of books (adjacent): The Big Smoke, an Australian digital publisher/marketing firm, has collapsed into liquidation after years of financial strain.

Rugby Sevens: Ultimate Sevens kicked off in Cardiff with Clan Taran winning the Men’s Team of the Week after edging Foudre Bleue 14-13, then smashing Atlantic Novas 11-0, before taking the final 19-5. Arts & Culture: Canberra’s National Gallery is taking Richard Lewer’s multimedia dementia work Steve on a three-year national tour, starting in South Australia, while Canberra’s choral and tango scenes gear up for new performances and exhibitions. Publishing & Books: The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards spotlighted Yolŋu oral history with a $80,000 win, and there’s fresh book buzz from crime thrillers to a BookTok reading trend. Education: NSW will cap classroom screen time from 2027 (15 minutes for K–Y2; up to 45 minutes for Y5–6), becoming mandatory in 2028. Health Costs: Australia’s specialist fees are rising fast, with out-of-pocket charges up sharply since 2019, prompting a crackdown on “excessive” pricing. Tech & Media: Telstra and Vodafone have published iPhone 18 Pro pre-order perks for Australia, including trade-in credit and bundled services. Court News: A Melbourne man, Timothy Wilson, faces stalking charges after alleged AirTag tracking of multiple women.

Education Policy: NSW will cap daily classroom screen time from 2027 (as low as 15 minutes for K–Y2), with limits becoming mandatory in 2028, after falling reading and maths results and concerns students are spending up to seven hours a day online. Court & Safety: A Melbourne man, Timothy Wilson, faces charges including stalking and weapon offences after police allege he used Apple AirTags and tracking gear to target multiple women, with court told investigators found cameras, audio devices and weapons at his home. Publishing & Culture: A new solo exhibition at Tuggeranong Arts Centre spotlights NSW South Coast artist Christiane Keller’s rock-inspired weaving and fibre work, linking natural patterns to Aboriginal art practices. Sports (Local Interest): The Dolphins reach the NRL preliminary finals after beating the Warriors 26-16, while NSW’s school-screen crackdown and the RBA’s upcoming Canberra appearances add to the week’s policy focus.

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (Baltimore finale): South Africa and New Zealand meet for the deciding Test in Baltimore, with the Springboks holding a 2-1 series lead and both unions chasing a major overseas payday. NRL coaching shake-up: Wests Tigers are diluting Benji Marshall’s powers by advertising for a pathways coaching director and setting up a committee to replace departing defence coach John Morris. US Open tennis (women’s final): Aryna Sabalenka takes on Elena Rybakina in the US Open decider, with Australia’s 9Now listed for free viewing. State Library of NSW 200th anniversary: The library kicks off its milestone festival with RECLAIM, a contemporary ceremony blending dance, music, poetry and First Nations resistance inside the Mitchell Library. Breast cancer and bras debate: A medical anthropologist revisits claims from her 1995 research book, arguing key findings were suppressed by the medical and lingerie industries. Consumer watchdog warning: The ACCC flags “predatory” free trials and automatic renewals after its eHarmony case, urging Australians to read terms before signing up. Tech & publishing-adjacent: Saber Interactive says it has “no real development in North America any more,” with teams spread globally, including Australia.

Children’s Literature & Community: St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School (NSW) marked CBCA Book Week with a “Symphony of Stories” dress-up day, author visits and character spotlights, keeping the focus on reading joy and storytelling. AI & Research Limits: University of Melbourne researchers describe GenMix, a method to stretch scarce medical scan examples by generating “more” training images while aiming to keep detection accuracy—an attempt to fix the real-world data bottleneck for AI. Publishing & Discovery: A new report highlights how BookTok shapes what Australians read, with Sally Thorne pointing to social media recommendations as the modern driver of book sales. Arts Policy & Funding: The Australian reports arts sector roundtables tied to antisemitism definitions and funding agreements, with concerns raised about lack of public records from closed sessions. Local Book Culture: A “Recipe for Murder” review spotlights Duncan McNab’s true-crime craft and research-heavy storytelling. Media & Platforms: Coverage notes Australia may soon be able to switch off social media algorithms, feeding into the wider debate about control and censorship.

BookTok and reading habits: A Canberra author says her sales are now driven more by social media recommendations than traditional word of mouth, with BookTok communities shaping what Australians pick up. Early literacy push: A new study finds parents are reading less to preschoolers than before the pandemic, while Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is cited for boosting shared reading at home in Australia. Creator-brand rules: A piece on “In partnership with” posts highlights how platform disclosure settings and regulators can both apply, creating a compliance trap for creators and brands. Publishing and culture: A roundup spotlights new 2026 releases and “the year of the horse” theme books, while a review notes how TV adaptations like Slow Horses still trace back to novels. Tech and publishing-adjacent: Instagram’s chief argues chronological feeds would overwhelm users, as Australia considers an option to switch off algorithmic feeds. Health tech: Australia-based Nutromics wins an FDA breakthrough designation for a vancomycin monitoring patch.

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards: Yolŋu oral-history novel A Piece of Red Cloth has won the $80,000 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction, published by Allen & Unwin and praised for its collaboration between Yolŋu knowledge holders and novelist Leonie Norrington. School Digital Safety: South Australian schools are removing identifiable student photos from public social media amid fears of image-scraping and AI misuse, shifting to safer alternatives like crowd shots and secure portals. Publishing & Culture: My Dad’s Gone Away (Magabala Books) is reviewed for its focus on parental incarceration and the over-imprisonment of First Australians. Science for Readers: Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw’s Black Holes, The Key to Understanding the Universe gets a popular-science review. Copyright & AI: India’s copyright registrar rejected an application naming an AI system as author, saying only a human can be the statutory author. Industry Watch: Travel And Tour World’s 2026 ranking puts Sydney in the global top 10 shopping destinations.

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards: Australia’s top literature prize has a big First Nations moment, with a Yolŋu novel winning $80,000 and coverage of the winners and the “profound” oral-history-based work. School Libraries & Reading Culture: A new piece spotlights why teacher-librarians and well-run school libraries keep kids reading, with classroom visits showing the difference professional library time makes. Social Media Algorithm Opt-Outs: Opinion and reporting focus on the Albanese government’s push to let Australians opt out of algorithmic recommendations, with critics warning it’s censorship-by-stealth. Publishing & Crime Books: September’s crime and thriller line-up gets a spotlight, including a “noir” novel review and a list of fresh crime reads. Kids’ Books & Literacy: A children’s literacy push highlights grants and book access, while another story looks at how community reading events turn books into social life. Culture & Media: Gillian Anderson confirms she identifies as pansexual in a new interview tied to her latest book. Tech & Games (Australia angle): A debate piece questions whether a new Gallipoli video game is trivialising war history, even with historian involvement.