❓ Mr Sutherland asked why the 2008 and 2009 Premier's Book Awards were presented simultaneously. Mr Day explained it was due to a review undertaken in 2009 which led to changes, including opening the awards nationally and increasing prize money, and the awards were suspended during the review.
AnsweredQoN 472Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PREMIER’S BOOK AWARDS
The Premier’s Book Awards for 2008 and 2009 were recently presented. Can the minister tell the house why both the 2008 and 2009 awards were presented simultaneously? Mr J.H.D. DAY
The Premier’s Book Awards for 2008 and 2009 were recently presented. Can the minister tell the house why both the 2008 and 2009 awards were presented simultaneously? Mr J.H.D. DAY
AnswerView source ↗
I was very pleased to attend the Premier’s Book Awards held at the University Club on the University of Western Australia campus on Wednesday evening of last week. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY replied: I was very pleased to attend the Premier’s Book Awards held at the University Club on the University of Western Australia campus on Wednesday evening of last week. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
I was very pleased to attend the Premier’s Book Awards held at the University Club on the University of Western Australia campus on Wednesday evening of last week. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY replied: I was very pleased to attend the Premier’s Book Awards held at the University Club on the University of Western Australia campus on Wednesday evening of last week. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
I was very pleased to attend the Premier’s Book Awards held at the University Club on the University of Western Australia campus on Wednesday evening of last week. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I was particularly pleased that the Premier of the state was there, which is the first time that that has occurred since 2004. Therefore, that was in itself a significant achievement. As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
As members may recall, a review of the Premier’s Book Awards was undertaken within the culture and arts portfolio during 2009. That was in recognition of the fact, in part, that the book awards had become not nearly as well recognised and had reduced in status when compared with the situation when it originated in 1982. One of the clear recommendations of that review was that the ability to enter the awards should be opened up on a national basis, rather than being confined to only residents of Western Australia. I think that that decision has been broadly supported, notwithstanding one or two of the interjections that we have just heard. Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr P.B. Watson : What about the local writers? All the money’s going over east! Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : Secondly — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Minister. Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.N. Hyde : Only four of the 11 awards went to Western Australians! The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
The SPEAKER : Member for Perth, I do not know whether you had an entry in the awards, but I am formally going to call you for the first time. Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : It is not likely, Mr Speaker! Apart from the interjections in this place, I have not heard anybody criticise the fact that it has been opened up on a national basis. That decision has been broadly supported within the literary community in Western Australia. In fact, my recollection is that there were actually 14 awards and four of those went to Western Australians. By proportion of population, that is a pretty good result. A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
A decision was also made to quite significantly increase the amount of prize money for the awards for winners of the Premier’s Book Awards in Western Australia so that the maximum prize money for the overall competition and for the particular categories was up to $40 000. That is a substantial increase on the previous amount. All of that has resulted in the awards being substantially strengthened and reinvigorated. The winners of the awards for 2008 and 2009 were from outside Western Australia, but some writers from Western Australia were also given significant recognition, including Tim Winton, Shaun Tan, Craig Silvey, Brian Dibble and Reg Cribb, all of whom were either finalists or short-listed in particular categories. Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.N. Hyde : And Penny Hetherington. Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I am pleased that the member for Perth knows a little about these awards. I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
I congratulate the overall winners for 2008 and 2009, who were Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man and Shirley Barrett for a film script called South Solitary . The latter was an interesting choice by the judges. Both awards were presented on the same night because the 2008 and 2009 awards were combined, given that the awards were suspended while we undertook the review. The review and the outcome of the decisions made by this government have substantially reinvigorated and strengthened the Premier’s Book Awards, and I look forward to the presentation of the 2010 awards in the next calendar year.
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