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I'm not sure why Richard Flanagan would be a puzzling example for publishers to use in this argument. If he had not been published by an Australian publisher, there's the possibility he would not have been invested in by an overseas publisher. The fact that his latest book must also have been published in the UK for him to win the Man Booker prize doesn't really do anything to lessen the point being made.
I also don't think it's as simple as saying if an author deserves to be published he/she will be regardless of the location of the publisher.
Having said that, the fear that is being raised is just fear. Would future Richard Flanagans fail to be discovered if changes to parallel import taxes are made? I don't know is my answer and I'd be surprised if anyone could really answer that conclusively. However, I would imagine there are numerous possible outcomes from allowing parallel imports that are not quite as desperate. Australian publishers are unlikely to focus on them, of course.
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