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ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 46 | August 2000


Digital Agenda Bill passes House of Representatives

The Australian Digital Alliance (ADA) has applauded both the Government and the Australian Labor Party for the recent passage of the Copyright Amendment (Digital Agenda) Bill 1999.

The Digital Agenda Bill is Australia’s most comprehensive piece of copyright legislation since the current Act was passed in 1968. It is designed to give Australia a copyright system tailored for the technologies of the twenty-first century.

The Bill is the result of an exhaustive (and as the Attorney-General, the Hon. Daryl Williams observed, exhausting) consultation process. The Shadow Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, correctly pointed out that: ‘When you have the procedures right, you are more likely to get the policy right.’

‘The correct procedure followed by the Government has indeed resulted in a good compromise that is fair to all,’ Tom Cochrane, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Information and Academic Services) of Queensland University of Technology and ADA Board member confirmed.

Steve Heptonstall, chair of the ADA said: ‘When amended, Australia’s copyright regime will allow copyright creators and investors to pursue new commercial exploitations of their copyright material in the online world while libraries, schools, universities and their users will continue to have reasonable access to the world’s information resources. This can only be a good thing for Australian innovation, research and education.’

The ADA is a coalition of public and private sector interests formed to promote balanced copyright law and provide an effective voice for a public interest perspective in the copyright debate. ADA members include schools, universities, consumer groups, major cultural institutions, IT companies, scientific and other research organisations, libraries and individuals.
Nick Smith

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