Annual report campaign continues

Printing Industries ceo Philip Andersen said the proposal calls for a transitional period to be included in the legislation allowing the industry to reposition itself for the change.

“Of course we won’t know until the final legislative draft what the outcome is, but the government is listening and taking note which itself is a significant improvement and something that was missing in the process when the legislative changes were recommended late in 2005,” he said.

Andersen said that the intervening period had allowed Printing Industries to provide input for consideration into the draft legislation and to mobilise widespread lobbying.

“No one doubts that the world-wide trends in favour of electronic annual reports will be followed by the Australian Government, but it’s a matter of how this occurs and what impact mitigation steps are provided to the printing industry.

“Our latest understanding is that the Parliamentary Secretary would like to have the legislation finalised for the May Budget session, but it is not clear yet whether this will be possible,” he said.

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