Lending rights

Public Lending Right (PLR) and Educational Lending Right (ELR) are Australian Government cultural programs which make payments to eligible Australian creators and publishers in recognition that income is lost through the free multiple use of their books in public and educational lending libraries. PLR and ELR also support the enrichment of Australian culture by encouraging the growth and development of Australian writing.

If you are a book publisher or creator—author, editor, illustrator, translator or compiler—you may be eligible for a payment under the PLR and ELR schemes.

If you are new to PLR and ELR read Schemes and guidelines before making a claim.

PLR and ELR have similar eligibility requirements and you can use the same process to register and claim with either or both programs.

 Modernisation process

In its response to the final report of the Book Industry Strategy Group (BISG) in June 2012, the Australian Government indicated that it would examine how the PLR and ELR schemes could be modernised, including with regard to the treatment of ebooks. 

Work has now started on a comprehensive assessment of the schemes, as the first part of the modernisation process. For more information on the modernisation process, including on the terms of reference for the assessment of the schemes, please visit the modernisation page.

The modernisation process may result in changes to the PLR and ELR schemes. To avoid disruption to the operation of the schemes, we will continue to accept creator and publisher registrations and title claims as usual while the modernisation process is underway. Claimants should be aware, that the modernisation process may result in changes to aspects of the schemes (potentially including their scope, eligibility criteria, methodology for determining payments, quantum of payments, and/or governance and administrative arrangements) between the time a new title claim is received and the first program year in which that title claim may be eligible for a payment.

For existing PLR and/or ELR claimants the modernisation process may result in changes to scheme parameters that were in place when you claimed for books in previous program years. These may include changes to the schemes’ scope, eligibility criteria, methodology for determining payments, quantum of payments, and/or governance and administrative arrangements.

 Please contact the department at ArtsReview@pmc.gov.au if you have any questions about the modernisation process.

Lending Rights Online Now Available

The easiest way to do business with Lending Rights is through Lending Rights Online (LRO). You can register as a new claimant, update your contact or bank details, submit new title claims and view your payment history using LRO.

As of 13 August 2010, Lending Rights will only acknowledge title claims submitted through LRO. Claimants are also encouraged to make all changes to contact or bank details through LRO, where you may verify the changes online.

We will continue to accept and process title claims and changes to your claimant record (contact and banking details) submitted by email, post and fax, but you will no longer receive an acknowledgement email or card. Changes to your claimant record will be reflected in LRO once they are processed.

Closing date for 2013-15 Lending Right programs

Creators and publishers are invited to submit title claims for the 2014-15 Public and Educational Lending Right programs. The closing date to lodge title claims is 31 March 2014.

A new title claim can be made for books published after 31 December 2008 and before 31 December 2013. Claimants should not submit a new title claim for a book previously registered, unless a new edition of the book is published.

If you do not have a password for Lending Rights Online, please email lendingrights@pmc.gov.au or phone 1800 672 842 to request one.