In this module, the authors (Combes, Fitzgerald and O’Connell, 2019) describe the requirements of copyright, censorship and freedom of information. Australia does not have explicit laws relating to the universal right of access to information, however, these rights are implied in the Constitution and Australia’s endorsement of various resolutions of the United Nations. Australia has censorship laws, requiring that certain types of information is not made available to certain groups of people (eg those under the age of 18). The Australian Government does have provision for Freedom Of Information, whereby people may request to see documentation pertaining to themselves and to correct any inaccuracies. The Copyright Act of 1968 sets out the responsibilities inherent in using the intellectual property of others. It is the job of the Teacher Librarian to bring these responsibilities to the attention of the school community. Australia does not have a ‘fair use’ provision for intellectual property however, certain exemptions are made for educational institutions and libraries. In practice, this means that up to 10% of a work may be copied without the author or publisher’s permission for educational purposes. The Department of Education in NSW claims ownership of intellectual property created by teachers employed by them, even when that material is produced in the teacher’s own time and using their own resources (retrieved 20/07/2019. https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/code-of-conduct-policy).

References

Combes, B., Fitzgerald, L. and O’Connell, J. (2019). The Information Environment. In ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship. Retrieved from  https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899453_1