It has been over two months since the Federal Government announced changes in Australian copyright law, changes which will have an impact on libraries, library users and regular consumers of copyright-protected material, i.e. just about all Australians.

We are still waiting for the exposure draft of the new legislation, according to the Australian Copyright Council, it had been expected in early July.

Until that happens, there is not too much to say. The Copyright Council has written up a helpful information sheet about these proposals. The Australian Libraries’ Copyright Committee (ALCC) has issued a press release welcoming the reforms. Kim Weatherall has written a detailed post criticizing aspects of the proposals, which seem to lack the needed balance between specificity and flexibility necessary for workable legislation.

Hopefully much will be clarified when the exposure draft is released.