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 currently receive little or no payment when their books are borrowed from public libraries and educational institutions, even though libraries profit from lending them. These two related measures create a new system that pays authors each time their work is borrowed, similar to schemes that already exist in other countries. The changes apply to existing copyright law and establish how payments will be calculated, who qualifies, and how the money flows from libraries to creators. This affects authors, publishers, libraries, schools, and anyone who borrows books, as it shifts the economics of library lending to ensure creators earn income from public use of their work.

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