Australia only stopped charging for literature from 1 January, 2000.
Why?
Because the Australian government introduced a Goods and Services Tax (GST)on 1 July 2000. Mention of the tax started in early 1999. Not long after, the bros here began telling us that the literature would soon become "free".
Interestingly, New Zealand has had GST for at least a decade or so, and yes, you guessed it, they haven't been charging for literature all that time either.
Things that make you go hhmmm....