Legal Deposit for authors and publishers

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Legal deposit is a statutory provision requiring publishers to deposit copies of their publications in a nominated collecting institute. The legal deposit system ensures that the works of authors and publishers will be preserved for present and future generations.

Legal Deposit in Western Australia

The State Library of Western Australia is the legal deposit library for Western Australian publications. This system was established under the Copyright Act of 1895, but the Act was repealed in 1994.  The Legal Deposit Act 2012 was passed in May 2012. This Act covers print, audio-visual and digital material, including works published on the Internet. Sections of the Act will become operative following the development of regulations which will be developed in consultation with stakeholders. In the interim, the State Library of Western Australia hopes that publishers will abide by the spirit of legal deposit to enable the State's documentary heritage to be preserved.

A publication is any work that has been made available to the public. A publication can be in any format: a book, newspaper, journal, pamphlet, map, printed music, film, CD, DVD, computer disc or other device. New legislation will also encompass online and electronic publications.

The comprehensive collections formed in this way provide a valuable resource for research into all aspects of Western Australian life: its history and culture including artistic, commercial, technical and scientific endeavour.

Legal Deposit material should be sent to:

Legal Deposit at the National Library of Australia

Legal deposit of Western Australian publications is also required with the National Library of Australia.  Further information about National and State Legal Deposit requirements can be found in the brochure Legal Deposit in Australia (June 2012).

Legal Deposit material should be sent to: