What can I copy as part of my teaching?

The Australian Copyright Act 1968 contains fair dealing exceptions that permit the re-use of copyright material under certain circumstances. However, they are often too narrow to apply to educational purposes, as this often requires communicating material to a group of students. These fair dealing exceptions are often confused with advice given around “fair use”, a legal doctrine that applies in US jurisdictions.

Curtin and all other Australian universities participate in three copyright licences to facilitate the use of copyright material for educational purposes. There are also other options to rely upon: where Curtin has licensed access to content (through Library databases); openly licensed content (such as Creative Commons); and website content that permits educational use. These options are outlined below.