Copyright Agency welcomes Government’s new Cultural Policy

February 1, 2023

The Federal Government launched its new Cultural Policy, Revive, on 30 January.

The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and the Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, both spoke at the launch.

 

 

The policy

The policy includes recognition of the fundamental role of the copyright system in supporting Australia’s creative industries and workers:

The Government is committed to maintaining a strong copyright framework that works in concert with other legal and policy mechanisms – including funding support for the creative industries, our broader intellectual property framework, the regulation of broadcasting and content industries, and celebration and protection of First Nations arts and culture – to support the success and vibrancy of Australia’s cultural and creative sector.

The policy also refers to the review of Australia’s copyright enforcement regime, which commenced in December 2022 (see here). The issues paper for that review says that the Government ‘is committed to copyright laws that protect Australian artists and enable them to earn a living from their creative works’.

The policy includes extension of the artists’ resale royalty scheme, managed by Copyright Agency, to resales of Australian artworks in other countries, and $1.8m in funding to support the extended scheme.

Other elements of the policy of particular interest to Copyright Agency’s members include:

  • specialist in-school arts education programs that directly draw from cultural and creative sector expertise, focusing on areas of identified disadvantage
  • modernising and extending the Public and Educational Lending Right Schemes (see here) to include digital content under the schemes (see here)
  • establishment of Writers Australia, with $19.3m in funding, provide direct support to the literature sector from 2025, including for writers and publishers, to grow local and international audiences for Australian books and establish a Poet Laureate for Australia
  • legislation to protect First Nations knowledge and cultural expressions, including to address the harm caused by fake art, merchandise and souvenirs

The policy, available here, follows a consultation process commenced in July 2022, which included meetings and submissions.
You can read Copyright Agency’s submission here.

Copyright Agency welcomes the policy’s recognition of the fundamental contribution of Australia’s creative industries and cultural workers to Australian society and the need to pay them fairly. We particularly welcome the recognition of the role of the copyright system, and funding to support extension of the artists’ resale royalty scheme.

Other industry responses to the policy include:

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