The Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has announced 
a number of copyright reviews that the Government is doing this year:

    * The one per cent cap on radio broadcaster royalties for sound recordings;
    * Whether it should introduce fair use type exceptions;
    * Criminalising unauthorised use of pay TV broadcasts; and
    * Whether the criminal offences in the Copyright Act need to be updated to make them consistent with the criminal code
   * The Digital Agenda Act amendments; and
    * a re-sale royalty arrangement for visual artists.

The Government will also introduce two pieces of legislation in the first half of this year recognising, for the first time, director’s copyright and also indigenous communal moral rights.

It is also working towards acceding to both of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) internet treaties this year.

The review of a fair use exception has attracted a lot of attention (eg here). A lot of interest relates to whether the law will recognise that a lot of people video record late night television shows and copy CD’s to their mp3 player.