Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

To have a review at that time of the whole act would be too broad and too soon. What we have chosen here with sections 47J and 110AA are the most innovative aspects of the bill. They are the ones where you are actually breaking new ground with format shifting and other things, and I think it is important that we look at that area. That is where the new frontier is, if you like. Certainly, we will pick up things as we move along. The process has demonstrated this. The very reason we have these amendments here tonight is as a result of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee making recommendations, and others as well. In fact some of these have been the result of stakeholders making further representations. It would be very foolish to stand still with copyright law and with emerging technologies. As the Attorney-General and I have said several times: it is an issue which we have to keep abreast of. But initially to have the outcomes that we need, I think that we need to make that review targeted and rigorous and according to a strict time line, and that is what we have done. But to have a broad one at that stage would be too early, and I think the breadth of it would defeat the purpose. I can understand what Senator Bartlett is saying but I think that the government’s position is that we have had a period of exposure drafts, a thorough period of consultation and we need to get this legislation bedded down and see how it runs. If amendments need to be made we will make them, but in relation to those innovative ones we definitely will have a very targeted review.