Coalition response to the Australian Library and Information Association

1.What is your party's commitment to supporting Australians access to information through libraries? Will you support, for example funding for the purchase of quality digital content for all Australian's and a national digitisation program?

The Coalition recognises the need to digitise the holdings of our major archival and collecting institutions, such as the National Archives, the National Library and the Australian Film Commission.

These institutions already undertake significant digitisation activity through existing funding allocations. The National Archives has benefitted from almost 100% increase in funding since 1996 to cover its activities, including digitisation, the NLA 62% increase. Funding for the Australian Film Commission has been increased by more than 30%.

2. What is your party's position on copyright?

The Coalition has worked hard to reform Australia's intellectual property laws to keep pace with technological developments. This has stimulated Australia's new media industries while ensuring consumers can enjoy the benefits of the digital revolution. A broad range of reforms have increased protection for copyright owners and brought down prices for copyright users.

The Coalition is committed to a strong Australian copyright regime that meets international standards and responds to the challenges of the digital age. We believe Australia's copyright laws are world-class. A re-elected Coalition Government will continue to ensure that Australia's copyright laws encourage creativity and innovation while maintaining reasonable public access to copyright material.

3. What is your party's position of ensuring free public access to government information, particularly government publications and e-government services?

The Australian Government is a major investor in the creation and development of intellectual property (IP) through its many activities in science, health, education, public infrastructure, information technology, defence and arts and culture. The Coalition believes much of this information and creativity can benefit the Australian community and has moved to encourage its use through the release of Intellectual Property Principles to give guidance to government agencies.

Among other issues the Principles state that agencies should encourage public use and easy access to copyright material that has been published for the purpose of:

• informing and advising the public of government policy and activities;
• providing information that will enable the public and organisations to understand their own obligations and responsibilities to Government;
• enabling the public and organisations to understand their entitlements to government assistance;
• facilitating access to government services; or
• complying with public accountability requirements.

This includes all materials which agencies are generally obliged to publish or otherwise allow free public access to. It does not necessarily include materials that have been published for commercial purpose. Nor does it cover materials which are of a sensitive nature, such as information that impacts on national security or information which would destroy the possibility of subsequently obtaining patent protection where such protection is necessary to achieve public benefit.

Permission for public use and re-use of such material should generally be given on a non-exclusive basis. Exclusive license to use such materials that should only be given in exception circumstances.

4. What is your party's position on Internet filtering and libraries?

In July 2007, the Prime Minister announced the $189 million NetAlert - Protecting Australian Families Online initiative which went live on Monday 20 August 2007. The NetAlert programme includes the provision of free content filtering for computers used by children in their homes and in public libraries should they choose to take them up.

the use of filters in libraries needs to be tailored to the circumstances and client profiles of different libraries (ie. The readership of the State Library of New South Wales is probably very different to a small suburban library).

Under NetAlert, all public libraries are encouraged to work with the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts to overcome any technical difficulties in installing PC-based filters, however, the Coalition Government recognises that legislating the use of content filters by librarians would be a blunt approach that would not be effective, particularly as the regulation of public libraries is generally a matter for state, territory and local governments.

5.Workforce planning and education are critical to ensuring libraries are able to be staffed by qualified individuals - has your party a policy on education and workforce development that will enable this to occur?

The Coalition Government has a plan to further reform Australia's economy, with the goal being to achieve full employment. Whilst this plan is ambitious, it is achievable with the right leadership and strong economic management. Australia has already enjoyed over 10 years of strong economic growth and now has a record of low unemployment.

The uninterrupted economic growth, combined with the emergence of a rapidly ageing population, has led to labour shortages; too many jobs chasing too few people.

These labour shortages lead to skills shortages. In 1992, when there were nearly a million unemployed, there were no skill shortages.

To tackle these labour and skills challenges the Coalition Government has been working strongly number of fronts, by:

• Encouraging people to once again greatly value technical and vocational training and careers;
• Encouraging those in the existing workforce to train, retrain or top up skills throughout working life; and
• Encouraging anyone who can work into work, or to stay in the workforce.

Since 1996, the Coalition Government has invested more than $24 billion on skills and vocational education and training, and will continue to invest in this important area.

Over the next four years the Coalition Government will spend more than $12 billion on skills training which includes investment in:

• Apprentice and student support (which includes $2000 taxfree wage top up):
• Employer apprenticeship incentives:
• Australian Technical Colleges (21 Colleges open and 7 in the pipeline with almost 2000 enrolled in the first year, 8000 - 10, 000 students by 2009)

The Coalition Government has also invested $837 million for the Skills for the Future Program aimed at ensuring that all Australians have the opportunity to gain the skills they need to enter in the workforce.

This program includes the highly successful WorkSkills Voucher Program which gives Australians over the age of 25 who do not have a year 12 or equivalent qualification a $3000 voucher to spend on basic literacy and numeracy, or a range of other certificate II courses. A certificate II in Library/Information Services is one of the certificate II courses available.

The Coalition Government will continue to invest in skills training and education to ensure we have the workforce we need for the future.