Copyright Act 1968

The copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work or a published edition of such a work, or in a sound recording, cinematograph film, television broadcast or sound broadcast, is not infringed by the Commonwealth or a State, or by a person authorized in writing by the Commonwealth or a State, doing any acts comprised in the copyright if the acts are done for the services of the Commonwealth or State.

Where the Government of the Commonwealth has made an agreement or arrangement with the Government of some other country for the supply to that country of goods required for the defence of that country:

the doing of any act in connexion with the supply of those goods in pursuance of the agreement or arrangement; and

the sale to any person of such of those goods as are not required for the purposes of the agreement or arrangement;

Authority may be given under subsection (1) before or after the acts in respect of which the authority is given have been done, and may be given to a person notwithstanding that he or she has a licence granted by, or binding on, the owner of the copyright to do the acts.

Where an act comprised in a copyright has been done under subsection (1), the Commonwealth or State shall, as soon as possible, unless it appears to the Commonwealth or State that it would be contrary to the public interest to do so, inform the owner of the copyright, as prescribed, of the doing of the act and shall furnish him or her with such information as to the doing of the act as he or she from time to time reasonably requires.

Where an act comprised in a copyright has been done under subsection (1), the terms for the doing of the act are such terms as are, whether before or after the act is done, agreed between the Commonwealth or the State and the owner of the copyright or, in default of agreement, as are fixed by the Copyright Tribunal.

An agreement or licence (whether made or granted before or after the commencement of this Act) fixing the terms upon which a person other than the Commonwealth or a State may do acts comprised in a copyright is inoperative with respect to the doing of those acts, after the commencement of this Act, under subsection (1), unless the agreement or licence has been approved by:

in the case of the Commonwealth—the Minister; or

in the case of a State—the Minister of the State with responsibility for copyright.

Where an article is sold and the sale is not, by virtue of subsection (1), an infringement of a copyright, the purchaser of the article, and a person claiming through him or her, is entitled to deal with the article as if the Commonwealth or State were the owner of that copyright.

An act done under subsection (1) does not constitute publication of a work or other subject‑matter and shall not be taken into account in the application of any provision of this Act relating to the duration of any copyright.

Where an exclusive licence is in force in relation to any copyright, the preceding subsections of this section have effect as if any reference in those subsections to the owner of the copyright were a reference to the exclusive licensee.

The reproduction, copying or communication of the whole or a part of a work or other subject‑matter for the educational purposes of an educational institution of, or under the control of, the Commonwealth, a State, the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed not to be an act done for the services of the Commonwealth, that State, the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory.