Legal Deposit Act
The Legal Deposit Act 2012 received Royal Assent in May 2012. The Act requires that Western Australia publications be deposited with the State Library, to ensure the ongoing collection and preservation of the State’s cultural heritage for future generations.
While the Act has been passed, most of the Act’s provisions will not come into force until relevant regulations, which prescribe how the provisions will operate, are developed and approved.
The development of regulations under the Legal Deposit Act 2012 is being undertaken in two phases:
- Regulations for the deposit of physical items such as books, journals, microform, maps, CDs, DVDs and digital works published on a physical carrier (Part 2 of the Act)
- Regulations for the deposit of online digital publications (Part 3 of the Act)
Consultation
Section 20 of the Act requires that consultation be undertaken with persons likely to be affected by the regulations before the regulations are developed. The State Library of Western Australia and the Library Board of Western Australia recognise the importance of engaging our partners, the community and staff in consultation to benefit from the experiences and knowledge of those people in the community who are most affected by our policy decisions.
Regulations for the deposit of physical items
Consultation was undertaken for the development of regulations under Part 2 of the Act in 2012.
A Discussion paper [PDF] was produced in August 2012 to provide a basis for discussion about the regulations. It outlined the issues to be considered and proposed eleven areas of regulation. The paper was made available on the State Library’s website, and was sent with invitations to provide feedback to a variety of stakeholders and peak bodies. Two face-to-face meetings were also held in August and September 2012 to allow further discussion. Consultation on this paper closed in September 2012.
A Report on the consultation [PDF] has been prepared, summarising the feedback received through the consultation.
Regulations are currently being drafted. Once these are finalised, further consultation will be undertaken on the draft regulations, before they go through the final regulatory process.
Regulations for the deposit of online digital publications
Consultation is yet to begin on regulations relating to Part 3 of the Act.
Page last updated: Wednesday 6 March 2013
