The Government was accused yesterday of dallying over a report on the Authors' Fund, which compensates writers for having their books held free in public libraries.
Writer Fiona Kidman recently resigned from Creative New Zealand in protest over problems with the authors' fund.
Green MP Sue Bradford said the Government's lack
of action over the fund was making it impossible for New Zealand writers to make a living.
"The Authors' Fund has been severely neglected over the years and is now basically in crisis," she said.
The book rate compensation had dropped from $1.32 in 1974 to an equivalent 18c now, she claimed.
"The current funding for New Zealand books held in public libraries is a disgrace."
Ms Bradford questioned Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Judith Tizard in Parliament on the Government's timetable for implementing recommendations of the expert review "to entrench the fund at an adequate level".
The minister said the review was started in 1997 and she received its final report last November.
She was comfortable with progress on considering its eight recommendations, including structural reorganisation, direct funding and new legislation.
One - to link the level of funding to inflation and for future increases in the number of books in the scheme to be covered automatically - would have exposed this and future Governments to "open-ended fiscal risk".
Ms Tizard said the book rate had gone from $1.31 in 1973 to $1.76 this year.
- NZPA
