Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the passage of this piece of legislation, the Copyright Amendment (Disability Access and Other Measures) Bill 2017, and to congratulate all parties—I stress 'all parties'—that have been involved in getting it to this point. As the digital age continues to revolutionise the way we work, communicate and engage with information, it is of course incredibly important that Australia's laws are made fit for the 21st century and to make sure they are not only reflective and fit for the 21st century for some people but also reflective and fit for all people.

Ensuring that resources are available for people, regardless of their disability, is important to the spirit and health of our nation and in making sure that the unrealised potential of every individual, whatever their circumstances, can be brought to life. Online resources have made material and services more accessible than ever for the general population, and it is crucial that the abundance and knowledge available to us is made accessible to all Australians regardless of their disability or any impairment.

Copyright law—for which I have always been a strong advocate—is an important matter to get right. Copyright is central to making sure that artistic creators and authors are able to be remunerated for their achievements and their creations. Nobody should ever be under any illusion about the important role that it plays in helping support our artists and the avenues that they need. Content creators need to have their creative effects and economic rights properly respected, particularly through the form of the exclusive right of copyright.

But of equal importance is ensuring that our copyright laws are flexible and contemporary and reflect the needs and demands of the modern age, particularly in the digital world, and ensuring that content is able to be used by people with a disability and people who need extra support within our community. Copyright is, has been and always will be a vehicle and a mechanism to distribute content, not an inhibitor or a barrier. That is what this bill seeks to implement.

This bill will enhance access to copyrighted material through a number of amendments. It will help bring the education, libraries and archive sectors of Australia firmly into the digital age. As part of this, the bill will harmonise the preservation exceptions for copyrighted material in libraries, archives and key cultural institutions. The former speaker was talking particularly about the importance of bringing to life the value and the cultural contribution of this country for all Australians, and on that I concur with him. The bill will also allow copyrighted material to be incorporated into educational assessments that are conducted online and set new standard terms of protection for published and unpublished materials and for Crown copyright in original materials.

The implications of this amendment and these seemingly simple changes are substantial. Most published material that is available worldwide is not presently accessible to people who are blind, who are visually impaired or who have a disability that affects the way a person reads, views, hears or comprehends copyrighted works. The bill's disability access provisions will put in place an amalgamated, flexible exception that organisations can then utilise to allow people with a disability to access said material. We owe it to the disability community and to people who suffer from problems around particularly blindness to ensure that Australia has the most flexible copyright framework that is available and possible. And if you think about which countries in the world are able to do that and to make content not just available but accessible to people regardless of any affliction or disability, it is us. That is why we are a leader. We will continue to be a leader, and we should be a leader.

The measures in this bill are format neutral, meaning that Australians with a print disability will also benefit alongside technological advancements and innovations today and into the future. The library and archive exceptions will allow libraries and institutions to archive with greater flexibility. Currently there are obsolete restrictions that prevent copies of published material being made unless the original has suffered damage, has deteriorated, or is lost or stolen. This bill will remove these regulations and empower libraries and institutions to make content as accessible as possible. Red tape will also be stripped away in the education sector, because the bill seeks to streamline the educational statutory licensing provisions for the copying and communication of works and broadcasts for educational purposes and permit the use of copyrighted material for online examinations.

The reforms will also refine existing provisions relating to educational use of content in order to assist educators in licensing arrangements and negotiations for access to works. This will allow educational institutions to take advantage of technology and expand the ways students can engage with content and examination material. More importantly, it is not just a legislative change but one that has a human consequence, because it expands the opportunity to engage young Australians regardless of their circumstances so that their minds can be broadened and they can be taken to other places, where they can learn and grow.

At the heart of this legislation is a desire to free our institutions so that they may harness the technology of the 21st century and help our young people, our old people and our people with disabilities. Vision Australia estimates that there are currently 357,000 people in Australia who are blind or have low vision. It projects that this number could grow to 564,000 by the year 2030, which only reinforces why these sorts of sensible, pragmatic, human-impact reforms are so essential. People aged between 15 and 64 years with disability have a lower participation rate and almost double the unemployment rate of those without disability. We all have an obligation to ensure that people with a disability are given equitable access to educational resources wherever possible.

In the digital age there is simply no reason we should not be doing more to give people with disability the best chance and opportunity to live their full human potential. We are committed to ensuring that outdated legislation is never in the way of an individual's pursuits, particularly those whose participation is already low. As a just society we have an obligation to make sure that nobody is left behind because of circumstances beyond their control. This bill is a reflection of the work of multiple parties who have come together at different points to seek pragmatic reform. For all those involved, I finish where I started, which is to congratulate them on their achievement, and I am proud that the Turnbull government is implementing this change.

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