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IPEd Advocacy

Advocacy

  • IPEd continued to work with peak bodies such as the ASA, APA and the MEAA to raise the profile of editors in the sector on issues such as pay rates and how we can improve services for our membership. 
  • When COVID-19 hit, we conducted the first in what will be a series of surveys to chart the effect of COVID-19 on our members. This data has been used in the following:
      • IPEd wrote to the Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, and Shadow Minister Tanya Plibersek about the proposed introduction of the Job-ready Graduates Package of reforms to higher education. Under those proposals, university fees for students in the areas of the arts, society and culture, law, economics, creative arts and communications will see increases by over 100 per cent. IPEd urged the government to reconsider the proposed fee increases, arguing that education opportunities must remain accessible to students. 
      • A submission based on the letter has been lodged to the inquiry into the proposed bill (Higher Education Support (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Amendment Bill 2020).
      • It has also given the APA background in broadening their understanding of the impacts COVID-19 has had on the editing profession in their submission to the inquiry into COVID-19 on the publishing sector.
      • IPEd’s submission to the parliamentary inquiry into COVID-19 and the arts. 
  • Convened in September 2019, the Pay Rates Working Party (PRWP) has been able to establish a range of fair pay rates (rather than recommended rates) required to sustain a long-term viable business, at a range of skill levels and experience. To do this it considered reports that had been developed by IPEd members since 2004 as well as in similar industries, the Book Publishing Award classifications, past IPEd survey results, enterprise bargaining agreements for specific publishing houses attained through the MEAA, and job advertisements to illustrate current in-house salaries. The hourly rates and supporting information are presented on the public website, in the ‘About editing’ section, for use by editors (members and non-members) and prospective clients. Additional information and resources for members are in the members-only section, under ‘Resources for editors’. Ongoing work for the PRWP includes compiling parallel information specific to New Zealand members; promoting the fair freelance pay rates to members and potential clients, including publishing houses, independent authors, universities, and corporate, education and government sectors; developing appropriate questions for use in the next IPEd members survey; compiling a salary and rates tracker for the IPEd website; and considering in-house salaries and working conditions.

Communications

  • Books + Publishing featured the editing profession in the November 2019 issue of its 100-year anniversary special series. It was a valuable opportunity to highlight the importance and value of editing. IPEd CEO Karen Lee was interviewed for the article.
  • The Ambassador Program has been a wonderful initiative that has allowed IPEd members to speak to aspiring authors and the general public as well as  university students about the role of editors and how they can assist. Fifteen presentations were held in the 2019/20 financial year, with nine academic and six general sessions at the following organisations:
    • Australian National University (ANU), Crawford School
    • Artstate, Tamworth
    • Notre Dame, Fremantle
    • Edith Cowan, Mt Lawley
    • Edith Cowan, Joondalup
    • Fellowship of Australia Writers, Tasmania
    • Writers Centre Victoria
    • University of Western Sydney, Parramatta campus
    • University of Western Sydney, Kingswood campus
    • Libraries ACT, Gungahlin Library
    • Griffith University, Nathan 
    • Griffith University, Gold Coast
    • University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
    • Waverley Library, NSW
    • Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival.

Copyright Agency Cultural Fund

  • The program is funded by the Copyright Agency. Due to COVID-19, our Ambassadors have pivoted to online sessions. The feedback from participants has continued to be very positive and we hope to be able to continue this program in future and would be able to look at issues specifically related to the profile of editors compared to communications and PR personnel.  We hope to speak to government and corporate employers about the value of editors and how they are different from communications and PR staff. Some of the testimonials have been:

Here’s feedback from participants:

‘Very helpful. I learned about the profession and how professional edits can help me in my thesis submission.’

‘This session gives a huge advantage for preparing my thesis submission.’

‘Good session. The discussion came up with many tricks to do with our writing.’

‘It has helped me to understand what editing involves and will help me make a decision as to how I would use an editor’s services.’

‘Great, thank you for letting us know that we can seek your help!’

IPEd CEO Karen Lee participated in a series of Margaret River Press blogs and discussed the importance of editors. The interview was published on 17 August 2020 here.