Call for renewed government funding for Australian printing industry

Printing Industries is pressing government for the reintroduction of a similar scheme to continue the good work set in motion throughout the printing industry.

According to Philip Anderson, national director of Printing Industries, any new scheme should apply to a larger portion of the industry. “Because of the unquestionable successes that it [EPICS] led to, we are in discussions with the federal government to introduce a similar scheme that would have even wider scope.

“When we convinced the government to introduce the EPICS scheme, it was compensation for the negative impact of the GST,” says Anderson. “They only agreed to a four year package, so after that it was halted.”

The $48 million EPICS was responsible for over 500 projects during its existence. While the graphic arts sector remains the third largest manufacturing industry in Australia, EPICS was its only source of government funding before the project was terminated on June 30 2004.

Anderson said the lessons learned by the industry were so positive that the continuation of the scheme is of vital importance to the Australian graphic arts industry.
Some of these successes feature in Business insights: key learnings from EPICS projects 2000-2004, a report just published providing an overview of the scheme and featuring case studies of businesses that benefited from the funding. Among the businesses included are Five Star Press, Rodenprint, Ligare, Lithocraft Graphics, Australian Geographic, Firefly Press and The Canberra Institute of Technology.

“The point of the report is to help businesses refocus,” says Joe Kowalewski,
national director of marketing & media services for Printing Industries. “It offers them the chance to look at doing things a little differently, and help them adapt to changing conditions and see what they have to do to survive.” Kowalewski emphasises the importance to the industry of the EPICS report, with the case studies providing an insight into how other businesses have prospered.

Business insights can be acquired free of charge from all Printing Industries offices or downloaded in PDF format from the Online Bookstore section.