Bill
Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026
passed, as at 2026-05-20. Arts portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Arts
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2026-04-01
- second reading — 2026-04-01
- second reading — 2026-05-12
- other — 2026-05-12
- second reading — 2026-05-13
- second reading — 2026-05-13
- other — 2026-05-13
- third reading — 2026-05-13
- introduced — 2026-05-14
- second reading — 2026-05-14
- second reading — 2026-05-14
- second reading — 2026-05-14
- third reading — 2026-05-14
- passed — 2026-05-14
- royal assent — 2026-05-20
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2026-04-01.
This bill would replace the current public lending rights law with a single framework covering both public and educational libraries.
The Minister for the Arts would gain power to create a scheme that pays Australian creators and publishers for books lent through libraries, including ebooks and audiobooks.
A new part-time committee, with a chair and four members selected by the Minister plus two public servants, would oversee the scheme's operation.
- Consolidates the public and educational lending rights into one legislative framework.
- Makes digital formats such as ebooks and audiobooks eligible for compensation.
- Establishes a new committee to oversee the scheme and advise the Minister and Secretary.
- Broadens the Secretary's delegated functions for processing and paying claims.
- Repeals the Public Lending Right Act 1985 through a separate accompanying bill.
Australian creators and publishers of books that are held in public or educational lending libraries.
Sources
em
billhome
frl act