IP Australia's policy register is intended to enhance public participation in government decision making, in line with the government's Open Government National Action Plan.
The Policy Register provides a snapshot of some of the policy issues that come to our attention as a result of:
- recommendations from IP related reviews
- stakeholder suggestions
- internal proposals.
The Policy Register contains a number of specific requests relating mainly to legislation. Given the dynamic nature of IP policy issues along with the intersection of IP with a growing number of public policy issues, the Policy Register reflects a sub-set of the domestic and international policy issues under consideration at any given time.
IP Australia works closely with the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources to provide advice to government on IP policy. The government determines which issues will ultimately be the subject of proposed legislative amendments. While all the issues on the register are considered, that does not mean that any legislative or policy changes will necessarily take effect.
IP Australia's legislative agenda
IP Australia is looking at ways the intellectual property system can better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to benefit from and protect their Indigenous Knowledge. We are also considering further improvements to the registered designs system.
We would welcome feedback from stakeholders to inform future priorities for changes to the IP rights system.
In addition to commenting on specific policy issues, we welcome comments on the broad direction that future policy work could take. For example, are there particular IP rights (i.e. patents, trade marks, designs, plant breeder’s rights, Olympic insignia), themes, or aspects of the IP system, that future reforms should address?
Submissions may be made using our general Policy Register feedback form.
Further queries regarding the forward legislative agenda may be sent through our Contact Us form.
Updates to the Designs Act
The Designs Amendment (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property Response) Act 2021, which amends the Designs Act 2003 (Designs Act), received Royal Assent on 10 September 2021. The amendments to the Designs Act clarify and simplify the designs system and provide more flexibility for designers, with a key reform of a new grace period for design applications.
How to have your say
We invite you to provide feedback on the issues on the register you are interested in. You can do so by using the policy feedback form which is available on each policy issue page.
You can submit new policy issues for our consideration. If you are considering submitting an issue we would encourage you to read our Guide to providing feedback to IP Australia’s Policy Register to gain an understanding of what information is helpful to provide.
We also welcome general feedback on the policy register or our legislative agenda.
More information
- SNIPER – a bibliographic database on IP related matters
- Consultation Hub – open consultations and the outcomes of consultations conducted after 2019, including published submissions
- Consultation Archive - outcomes of consultations conducted before 2020
- Other submissions received