Aussie rock stars took to the steps of Parliament last night to fight for copyright laws

A group of Australian musicians, including Ross Wilson, Diesel, Daryl Braithwaite, Megan Washington and Kav Temperly from Eskimo Joe, took to the steps of Parliament House to stress the importance of copyright protection for right holders and musicians.

At the Rock The House event, APRA AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle pointed out the negative impact extending safe harbour provisions to tech giants like Facebook or Google would have on the entire music industry.

“We call on the Federal Government to refer the question of whether Australia’s safe harbour provisions should be amended”, Cottle said, “and, if so, in what way; [we call on] the Department of Communications and the Arts for a comprehensive and holistic review of the different issues and stakeholder interests involved. This review process must include thorough consultation with the creative content sector.

“We also call on the Government to recognise both the macro and micro economic impact and opportunity of the Australian contemporary music industry. Innovation is at the heart of the sector, with songwriters and artists operating micro-businesses across every corner of the country.

“Collectively, they contribute to a multi-billion dollar industry that is relevant to a large number of government portfolios, from Communications and the Arts to Trade, Tourism, Innovation, Small Business, Education, Regional Development and Health.”

Ross Wilson told over 300 members of Parliament that the Productivity Commission is “attempting to undermine the rights of songwriters.”

“We deserve to get paid for our work, and not have big tech companies unfairly profit from our creations”, he continued.

“I hope to see bipartisan support for our cause.”

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.