Australian musicians struggle to stop politicians using songs without permission
Australian songwriters lack effective legal tools to stop politicians and tech platforms from using their music without permission, despite copyright law.
When Pauline Hanson's One Nation party decided to use "I Am Australian" at campaign events in 1998, the song's co-authors Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton had no real legal remedy. Australia did not recognize moral rights until 2000.
Newton recalls: they bluffed with a cease-and-desist letter from a sympathetic lawyer, and it worked. The same song appeared at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference in Brisbane, to Newton's dismay.
He says using it at an anti-immigration rally contradicts its message of unity. Newton and Woodley are far from the only Australian artists to face this problem.
Only last week, Ross Wilson objected to "Eagle Rock" being used by One Nation; the Hoodoo Gurus condemned "What's My Scene" by Hanson; Clive Palmer paid Dee Snider $1.5 million in damages for "We're Not Gonna Take It" in 2019.
Few artists can afford legal action. Drummer Lindy Morrison notes most rely on cease-and-desist letters and public shaming.
Tech giants complicate matters: when Mark Callaghan's "Sounds of Then" appeared in a hate group recruitment video, Facebook and Google made removal slow and difficult.
- 1998
- One Nation campaign year
- 2000
- Moral rights introduced
- 1.5 million dollars
- Palmer damages paid
Why it mattersArtists lack practical power to control how their work is used, even when law says they should, leaving creators vulnerable to political misuse.
AustraliaAustralian songwriters and musicians lack effective enforcement tools against both politicians and tech platforms, a gap that harms creators' rights and livelihoods.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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