Transition Arrangements for Authors' Public Lending Payments
Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions Bill 2026
House of Representatives
Senate
Assent
Introduced by: The Hon Tony Burke MP (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Tony Burke ALP
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions Bill 2026 repeals the Public Lending Right Act 1985 and supports the transition to the new unified lending rights framework.”
Ms BELL
“I rise today to debate the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill and the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions Bill, and, at the outset, I want to make it clear that the coalition will be supporting these bills.”
Jo Briskey ALP
“Every page of writing is a result of a thousand tiny decisions and desperate acts of will. This is an except from Australian literary icon and local Maribyrnong resident Helen Gardner, one of Australia’s greatest living writers. In her True Stories: Selected Non-Fiction, she wrote this about the craft of writing.”
Mary Aldred LIB
“It’s always a pleasure to follow my colleague the member for Maribyrnong. I too rise to speak on the bills before us today: the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026 and the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions Bill 2026.”
Tom French ALP
“I rise to support the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026 and the companion Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions Bill. This is a good bill. It is good for Australian authors. It is good for Australian publishers. It is good for libraries.”
Carina Garland ALP
“I love books, I love libraries, and I love Australian stories. I am one of the chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Books and Reading, and I am so proud to be part of a Labor government that backs Australian stories, libraries and authors every step of the way.”
Rowan Holzberger ALP
“I rise in support of the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026 and the associated bill. In doing so, I recognise the work the minister—the Leader of the House and the Minister for the Arts—has done.”
Sam Lim ALP
“I rise to make my contribution to the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026. The library is a home for many—for students studying after school; for babies and young children learning their first nursery rhymes; for members of the community accessing public information; for migrants like me who learn English from a free library community program.”
Susan Templeman ALP
“There is a particular kind of silence that exists in a library. It’s not an empty silence; it’s a living one. It’s the silence of curiosity, of imagination at work, of children discovering worlds larger than their own and of someone reaching for comfort, knowledge, escape or recognition between the covers of a book.”
Ed Husic ALP
“It is with both an even mix of pleasure and a daunting feeling that I follow the member for Macquarie. She applies a great deal of thought to this area because of a deep passion and a belief in the creativity of her fellow Australians. I want to commend her for the contribution that she just made to the House.”
“Libraries are the beating hearts of our communities. They are a crucial education resource for children and families, particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, who would otherwise not have access to such a wide range of reading. In this way, libraries are a vital component of our educational landscape.”
Nita Green ALP
“I move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted.”
Susan McDonald LNP
“I rise today to debate the Public and Educational Lending Rights (Better Income for Authors) Bill 2026 and the related bill. At the outset, I want to make it clear that the coalition will be supporting these bills. They are sensible, non-controversial measures that update the governance and administration of important schemes that support Australian authors and publishers.”
Anthony Chisholm ALP
“I commend the bill to the chamber. Question agreed to. Bills read a second time.”