In a public statement to the Australian Government, many members of the Australian music community have called for the Government to reject changes to Australia's rights' framework, particularly outdated changes to the safe harbour scheme and the introduction of a broad fair use exception, which will chip away at a music creator’s right to be remunerated fairly for their creative endeavours.
The Government has previously released an exposure draft of the Copyright Amendment (Disability Access and Other Measures) Bill, which contains changes to the copyright safe harbour regime. These changes have the potential to significantly harm Australia's creative content community, including musicians.
Music Rights Australia's General Manager, Vanessa Hutley, has stated that the changes "will undermine an artist’s and a creator’s ability to choose where when and how their music can be enjoyed by people. A safe harbour that actually represents the current digital environment, and which is developed through consultation, will be something that actually benefits all."
AMPAL General Manager, Matthew O'Sullivan, added that "we are very concerned by the proposed changes, which have the potential to harm music publishers, the majority of whom are small businesses, and their songwriter and composer partners. At a time when the US and EU are specifically looking at the issues around their safe harbour laws and engaging in active consultation, we are calling for the Government to drop the currently proposed safe harbour changes - which are based on outdated law - from the Copyright Amendment Bill and to consult with the industry to ensure that the laws are fit for purpose today."
