The Australian Publishers Association (APA), the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and the National Copyright Unit (NCU) for Australian schools are pleased to announce an update regarding school storytimes to ensure that schools affected by recent flooding in Queensland and NSW are able to read stories to their students in a virtual classroom environment. The Storytime Arrangement, which was put in place to assist schools affected by COVID-19 disruptions, will (apart from paragraph 4) apply to schools in Queensland and NSW unable to teach face-to-face due to flooding. This policy is temporary and applies to any primary or secondary school in NSW and Queensland required to provide remote learning for students due to the flooding emergency. Recordings can only be used during the period of disruption caused by the floods, and access to the recording by students/parents must be disabled within a month of that school resuming normal teaching practices.
