Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment Act 2001

Administered by Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts

Legislation au C2004A00813 In force Act

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Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment Act 2001

 

No. 46, 2001

 

 

 

 

Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment Act 2001

 

No. 46, 2001

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend legislation relating to communications and the arts, and for related purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title...................................

2 Commencement...............................

3 Schedule(s)..................................

4 Application provision—Public Lending Right Scheme........

5 Application provision—immunity of carriers and carriage service providers             

6 Saving of notices...............................

Schedule 1—Amendments

Public Lending Right Act 1985

Telecommunications Act 1997

Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999

Trade Practices Act 1974

 

Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment Act 2001

No. 46, 2001

 

 

 

An Act to amend legislation relating to communications and the arts, and for related purposes

[Assented to 5 June 2001]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment Act 2001.

2  Commencement

  This Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

3  Schedule(s)

  Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

4  Application provision—Public Lending Right Scheme

  The amendments of the Public Lending Right Act 1985 made by Schedule 1 to this Act apply in relation to claims made after the commencement of this Act.

5  Application provision—immunity of carriers and carriage service providers

  The amendments of the Telecommunications Act 1997 made by Schedule 1 to this Act apply in relation to acts or omissions occurring after the commencement of this Act.

6  Saving of notices

  A notice in force under subsection 151AQB(2) of the Trade Practices Act 1974 immediately before the commencement of this section is taken, after the commencement of this section, to be an advisory notice in force under subsection 151AQB(1) of that Act.


Schedule 1—Amendments

 

Public Lending Right Act 1985

1  After section 2

Insert:

2A  Objects of Act

  The objects of this Act are:

 (a) to make payments to Australian creators of books, and to publishers of books in Australia, in recognition of their loss of income from their books being available for loan from, or for use in, public lending libraries in Australia; and

 (b) to support the enrichment of Australian culture by encouraging Australian persons to create books and by encouraging publishers to publish books in Australia.

2  Subsection 5(4)

After “means”, insert “any of the following”.

3  Paragraph 5(4)(b)

Repeal the paragraph.

4  Paragraph 5(4)(c)

Omit “or otherwise contributed to its form or contents”.

5  Paragraph 5(4)(d)

Repeal the paragraph.

Telecommunications Act 1997

6  After subsection 315(3)

Insert:

 (3A) The provider is not liable to an action or other proceeding for damages for or in relation to an act done or omitted in good faith in compliance with the request.

 (3B) An officer, employee or agent of the provider is not liable to an action or other proceeding for damages for or in relation to an act done or omitted in good faith in connection with an act done or omitted by the provider as mentioned in subsection (3A).

7  After section 346

Insert:

346A  Carrier and carriage service provider immunity

 (1) A carrier or carriage service provider is not liable to an action or other proceeding for damages for or in relation to an act done or omitted in good faith in compliance with a designated disaster plan covered by subsection 345(1) or 346(1), as the case may be.

 (2) An officer, employee or agent of a carrier or of a carriage service provider is not liable to an action or other proceeding for damages for or in relation to an act done or omitted in good faith in connection with an act done or omitted by the carrier or provider as mentioned in subsection (1).

Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999

8  Subsection 128(3)

Omit “ACN 057 634 787”, substitute “ABN 46 057 634 787”.

Trade Practices Act 1974

9  Subsections 151AQB(1) and (2)

Repeal the subsections, substitute:

 (1) The Commission may:

 (a) at the same time as it issues a Part A competition notice in relation to a carrier or carriage service provider; or

 (b) at any time after a Part A competition notice has been issued in relation to a carrier or carriage service provider;

give the carrier or provider a written notice (an advisory notice) advising the carrier or provider of the action it should take, or consider taking, in order to ensure that it does not engage, or continue to engage, in the kind of conduct dealt with in the Part A competition notice.

10  Subsection 151AQB(3)

Omit “A notice under subsection (2)”, substitute “An advisory notice”.

11  Subsection 151AQB(4)

Omit “A notice under subsection (2)”, substitute “An advisory notice”.

12  Subsection 151AQB(5)

Omit “a notice under subsection (2)”, substitute “an advisory notice”.

13  Subsection 151AQB(6)

Omit “a notice under subsection (2)”, substitute “an advisory notice”.

14  Subsection 151AQB(7)

Omit “a notice under subsection (2)”, substitute “an advisory notice”.

15  Subsection 151AQB(7)

Omit “the notice under subsection (2)”, substitute “the advisory notice”.

16  Paragraph 151CM(1)(c)

Omit “Division 5 of Part 7 of the Telecommunications Act 1997”, substitute “Division 11 of Part 2 of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999”.

17  At the end of subsection 151CM(1)

Add:

 ; and (d) the adequacy of each digital data service provider’s compliance with its obligations under Division 12 of Part 2 of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 (which deals with regulation of digital data service charges).

18  After section 152CW

Insert:

152CWA  Exercise of procedural powers by Commission members

Chairperson is part of the arbitration

 (1) If the Chairperson is one of the members (the sitting members) of the Commission as constituted under section 152CV in relation to an arbitration, the procedural powers of the Commission in relation to the arbitration may be exercised by either or both of the following:

 (a) the Chairperson;

 (b) a sitting member nominated in writing by the Chairperson for the purposes of this paragraph.

Chairperson is not part of the arbitration

 (2) If the Chairperson is not one of the sitting members, the procedural powers of the Commission in relation to the arbitration may be exercised by either or both of the following:

 (a) the sitting member nominated under subsection 152CW(2) to preside at the arbitration;

 (b) a sitting member nominated in writing by the Chairperson for the purposes of this paragraph.

Definition

 (3) For the purposes of this section, a procedural power of the Commission in relation to an arbitration is a power of the Commission in relation to the arbitration other than:

 (a) a power conferred by this Division to make, vary or revoke a determination; or

 (b) a power conferred by this Division to give a draft determination to the parties.

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 30 November 2000

Senate on 5 April 2001]

 

(185/00)


 

 

 

Overview

The Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment Act 2001, No. 46, enacted by the Parliament of Australia, addresses various issues related to communications and the arts by amending existing legislation. This Act seeks to enhance the legal framework around the Public Lending Right Scheme, provide immunity to carriers and carriage service providers under specific conditions, and update references within the Trade Practices Act 1974. The overarching policy objective is to support the enrichment of Australian culture by encouraging the creation and publication of books in Australia, and to provide clarity and protection within the communications sector. The amendments are designed to ensure that actions taken in good faith by carriers, carriage service providers, and their employees or agents are protected from liability in certain circumstances, while also updating references to align with changes in other legislation.

Scope and Application

The Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment Act 2001 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia designed to amend existing legislation concerning communications and the arts. This Act commenced on the date of its Royal Assent, and it includes amendments to the Public Lending Right Act 1985, the Telecommunications Act 1997, the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999, and the Trade Practices Act 1974. The amendments apply to claims, acts, or omissions occurring after the Act's commencement. For instance, the changes to the Public Lending Right Act 1985 pertain to claims made subsequent to the Act's effective date. Additionally, the amendments to the Trade Practices Act 1974 concern notices in force before the commencement of this Act, which are treated as advisory notices under the new provisions. The Act's reach is broad, impacting creators, publishers, carriers, and service providers within Australia, with specific provisions extending immunity to certain parties when acting in good faith. The Act does not specify any exclusions or exemptions, but it allows for further regulation through subordinate instruments, as indicated by the amendments to existing Acts.

Key Provisions

The Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment Act 2001 (No. 46, 2001) amends several pieces of legislation, primarily the Public Lending Right Act 1985, the Telecommunications Act 1997, the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999, and the Trade Practices Act 1974. The amendments are outlined in the Act's Schedule and include changes to the objects of the Public Lending Right Act 1985 (Section 2A), modifications to the definition of "book" (Sections 2 and 5), immunity provisions for telecommunications providers (Sections 6 and 7), and updates to references within the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Sections 9 and 15). Additionally, it introduces a new provision regarding the exercise of procedural powers by Commission members (Section 152CWA). The amended legislation imposes specific obligations on the parties it governs. For instance, under the Public Lending Right Act 1985, the amended objects of the Act now focus on compensating Australian creators and publishers for income lost due to public lending rights and encouraging book creation and publication in Australia. The Telecommunications Act 1997 and the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 introduce immunity provisions for telecommunications providers and their employees or agents in cases of good faith compliance with requests or disaster plans. The Trade Practices Act 1974 updates the procedures for issuing advisory notices to carriers or providers regarding Part A competition notices, now referred to as "advisory notices." Breach of the provisions within the amended Acts can lead to various consequences. For instance, under the Trade Practices Act 1974, failure to comply with an advisory notice could result in enforcement actions by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). While specific penalties for breaches are not detailed in the Act, penalties for similar breaches in other sections of the Trade Practices Act 1974 can range from fines to imprisonment, depending on the severity of the breach. The immunity provisions in the Telecommunications Act 1997 and the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 are designed to protect carriers and providers from legal liability in certain circumstances, thereby encouraging compliance with the amended Acts.

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Area of Law
Communications Law
Intellectual Property Law
Consumer Law
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Repeal & Amendment
Licensing & Registration
Enforcement Powers
Regulatory Standards

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.