ALP releases pre-election arts policy

The Australian Labor Party released its pre-election arts policy, ‘New Directions for the Arts’, on 14 September 2007. The policy confirms the ALP’s commitment to introduce a resale royalty scheme for visual artists. Resale royalty schemes impose an obligation to pay a proportion of the proceeds from the resale of an artistic work to the artist, even if the artist is not the copyright owner.

Other promises include:

• continuation of the Educational Lending Right Scheme, under which Australian authors and publishers receive payment for books held in educational institutions, and
  

• “Labor will examine ways to adequately protect artist’s copyright given the challenges posed by new and emerging platforms and changes in consumer patterns.”

• For the policy, click here.
  
• For the media release of the Shadow Minister for the Arts, click here.

• For information about the 2006 private member's bill, click here.
  

In May 2006, the government announced that it would not introduce a resale royalty scheme.

• For the announcement, click here.
  

The government's announcement followed a discussion paper on the issue released in 2004.

• For a link to the discussion paper, and submissions responding to it, click here