2018–19 Year in Review

Chair’s Message

Kim Williams

I have worked for my whole life in organisations dedicated to creating Australian content – across music, film, television, media and books – and to finding (and developing) audiences. While deeply rewarding, these are all very tough businesses. People who create stories, expose themselves in a way that few others do. To work, these businesses require extraordinary sales and promotional skills to attract audiences.

CEO’s Message

Adam Suckling

I believe that the Copyright Agency’s job is to stand up for you, our members, in a world that has been profoundly transformed by digital technology. We did this in FY19 by coming to contemporary licensing agreements, undertaking necessary legal actions to establish the value of digital content under our licences, investing in new 21st century digital systems and products, and advocating for modern policy settings in Canberra which support creators.

Highlights of 2018–2019

This financial year saw $116m paid to members, more than $1.5m awarded in Cultural Fund grants, and almost $700k paid in resale royalties.

Serving our members

We drove licensing and cost efficiencies, invested in major system upgrades, and stood up for the rights of more than 40,000 members from the publishing, media, education, arts and surveying sectors.

Innovation for education

We awarded a new fellowship for teachers of English and literacy, upgraded our online service for licensed Private Education Providers, and rolled out a new cloud-based tool for librarians.

Licensing at work

Close to 200 new licences were purchased by businesses and private education providers and we engaged closely with licensees to set new benchmarks for compliance, ensuring copyright governance was top of mind.

Supporting Australian creativity

We awarded 75 grants and five fellowships through our Cultural Fund, enhancing the profile of Australian creators and fostering our dynamic writing, publishing and visual arts sectors.

Awards and sponsorship

The Copyright Agency was proud to be involved in a range of prizes, including the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the John Fries Award, the Australian Book Industry Awards and the Walkley Mid-Year Awards.