Faafoi KrisCOPYRIGHT (MARRAKESH TREATY IMPLEMENTATION) AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs): I move That the Copyright (Marrakesh Treaty Implementation) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. The committee stage for this bill was just last night and I think members and those with an interest would have noticed that this is a very narrow amendment to the Copyright Act 1994 but it will have a very large impact on I believe about 180000 New Zealanders with print disabilities. The amendments that we're making to the Copyright Act are necessary to allow New Zealand to accede to the Marrakesh Treaty and essentially the Marrakesh Treaty is intended to make it easier for people with print disabilities to obtain what we call in the legislation accessible format copies" of copyright works or written works. Again as we mentioned in the committee stage last night format copies include Braille and they include large print and audio format.I guess because this is the third reading: because of as I mentioned the large number—I think it's quite a substantial number—of people who do have print disabilities I was quite surprised when I first interacted with this piece of legislation that something hadn't been done for these New Zealanders already to date. I would have thought that something—maybe 10 15 or 20 years ago—would have been done. So it's nice to get to the situation where we have a third reading for that community today where I think we are tackling a long-term issue for that particular community to make sure that they can do something quite simply which we do every day and that is make sure that they can get access to and access to affordable formats of books and other manuals.Once the bill receives Royal assent New Zealand's instrument to the Marrakesh Treaty can be deposited with the World Intellectual Property Organization otherwise known as WIPO and the amendments of this made in this piece of legislation—or bill as it is now—will enter into force three months after this when it comes into force for New Zealand.As I said it will enable those who are print disabled to get access to copyright works in accessible formats. It is estimated that around 10 percent of all written materials published worldwide are published in formats that are accessible to people with print disability so this lack of access—with 90 percent that are not—is a barrier to participation in public life. It restricts employment education and of course recreational opportunities for a significant number of New Zealanders. Most of our trading partners have also signed the Marrakesh Treaty and that includes Australia Canada China Singapore the US and the EU. They are all now members—Marrakesh Treaty nations. When it comes into force people in New Zealand with a print disability can access import or export some of these works to a much wider range of countries than we can now.I would like to acknowledge the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee chaired by Jonathan Young for the very good way in which they looked at the bill but also for the changes that they made to the bill which removed what is known as the "commercial availability test". It was relatively controversial for some of the submitters—more so those who represent authors and publishers; they had concerns that removing that commercial availability test would do the opposite of what we're trying to achieve with this bill and make fewer formats and copies available and actually increase the prices of some of these formats. They are concerns that I think were valid to raise and through the select committee process they were asked—and also in conversations with me as Minister they were asked—whether they could come to us with examples in other nations of where the commercial availability test had been removed and any evidence of this happening. It wasn't able to be provided; so I think the select committee and also the Government made the right balanced judgment in order to make sure that those 168000 New Zealanders I think can have access to these accessible formats.I do believe though that those who represent publishers and authors do have some wider concerns and valid wider concerns around the Copyright Act which can be taken up as part of the Copyright Act review which is under way at the moment. So I would hope that while some of those parties who have concerns may feel like they didn't have them dealt with through this legislation they know they've got another avenue in which to raise some of their concerns about the copyright process more widely.In closing can I thank all of those who made submissions during the development of the bill including the Foundation for the Blind Universities New Zealand the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa Copyright Licensing New Zealand and the Society of Authors for their insights and their feedback noting some of the concerns that they had to ensure that this bill will achieve its objectives and that there was scrutiny of it. It is a piece of legislation that is extremely well timed; I think it's well overdue and I think as I say for the 160000-plus New Zealanders who've been waiting for this in order to get access to more accessible formats and cheaper accessible formats it will change their lives in terms of recreation and education in a way that I don't think I can certainly imagine. So I wish them all the best now that this piece of legislation has changed and will make their lives better."