The Australian Government is being criticised after it was revealed it will provide $200,000 out of a $2 million grant in taxpayer's money to support activities that undermine the work of Ms Maryanne Diamond, an Australian who is President of the World Blind Union (WBU).
The taxpayer funding is going towards a project with publishers called the "TIGAR initiative" that has, after three years of work, seen just 300 books being made available for blind people in formats they can read such as audio or large print.
The WBU continues to focus its efforts on achieving an international treaty which would allow hundreds of thousands of books produced in formats like braille, audio and large print to be shared from one country to another benefiting 285 million people worldwide.
WBU suspended its involvement in "TIGAR" in 2011 after it became clear that it was being misused to give the impression to lawmakers that there was no need for such an international treaty.
Ms Maryanne Diamond, General Manager of International and Stakeholder Relations at Vision Australia, and President of the WBU, questioned the Australian Government's short-sightedness and said she was embarrassed to find out about the poor decision from international colleagues.
"At the same time I'm fighting on behalf of the World Blind Union for a legally binding UN Treaty to allow books produced in formats such as braille, audio, large print to be shared worldwide, I get told by someone overseas that the Australian Government is handing money to an activity we have withdrawn from," Ms Diamond said.
The Australian Government has signed a MOU with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) for $2 million to improve intellectual property systems in developing countries including to the TIGAR initiative which the WBU has suspended its involvement until work on a legally binding treaty on copyright is finalised.
"It is clear to all except the Australian Government that a licensing arrangement without underpinning legal rights gets us nowhere. In three years, the TIGAR initiative has exchanged 300 books, almost none have gone to people living in developing countries.
"It's unfortunate the WIPO TIGAR project is being erroneously portrayed by some rights holder organisations as an alternative to the underpinning legal framework needed to guarantee equal access to information promised under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
"A treaty is the only solution in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which Australia has ratified," Ms Diamond said.
On 15 June 2012, the WIPO and the Australian Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization signed an agreement and released a joint communiqué "detailing how an AUD$2 million Australian contribution would assist least-developed and developing countries improve their intellectual property systems".
"I urge the Australian Government to show their support for the treaty in such a public way as they have for the WIPO initiatives as outlined in the 15 June announcement," Ms Diamond concluded.
The next meeting at WIPO will be held 16 - 25 July providing the perfect opportunity for Australia to show leadership in advocating with other WIPO states to gain support for the text to be finalised and that text be a treaty.