Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026, Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions Bill 2026; Second Reading

Summary

Authors and creators will receive payments when their books are borrowed from public and educational libraries, similar to systems that already exist in other countries. The changes amend existing copyright law to create a new lending rights scheme where libraries pay into a pool that gets distributed to eligible writers and publishers. This addresses the fact that authors currently earn nothing when their works are borrowed for free, even though they lose potential book sales, and aims to provide better income support for the creative sector.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause