Knowledge economy

This submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) discusses how investment in libraries can be expected to generate economic as well as social, cultural and environmental benefits. Libraries sustain the community in social, cultural and environmental terms and contribute positively in terms of economic value, benefit and activity. ALIA advocates the development of an informed society that can partake and participate in skilled decision-making.

This joint submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and eight other library associations supports the development of an information infrastructure with libraries as the conduit for a sustainable knowledge economy.

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Government's Foreign Policy White Paper. Libraries and other cultural institutions are well placed to contribute to foreign policy discussions in areas including:

- Australia’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

- Advice about the impact of trade agreements on domestic copyright

- Involvement in research and data initiatives to support Australia’s knowledge economy

ALIA Report produced for the Australian Government consultation entitled Digital Economy Opening the Conversation, November 2017