Can I copy from government websites?
Answer
Always check the government agency’s copyright page to see if they provide a licence or permission for users to reuse their content. Some federal and fewer state government agencies have made their website content available under an open licence or Creative Commons (CC). This means you can freely use their content, as long as you attribute. Here are some openly licensed Australian government websites.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics - CC
- Australian Taxation Office - open licence
- Safe Work Australia - CC
- WorkSafe (WA) – CC
- Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (WA) – CC
- Department of Education (WA) – CC
When there is no licence or permission to use government content, then you have a few options:
- Provide links to the content instead of reproducing it;
- Request permission from the government agency to reproduce their content. This is particularly important if you wish to reproduce more than 10%/1 chapter of something or wish to adapt it; or
- Copy up to 10% or 1 chapter of the material under the text and artistic licence (s113P). For example, you may copy an entire image and up to 10% of text in a PDF from the WA Department of Health website.
If you use options 2 and 3 don’t forget to attribute appropriately.
The information in this FAQ is for your guidance only. It does not constitute legal advice.
Reproduced under CC BY 4.0 licence from the 2023 webinar ‘Copyright Survey Preparation’, Department of Training and Workforce Development.