Australia's federal government has passed the Copyright Amendment Bill 2026, introducing for the first time an "orphan works" scheme that provides legal certainty for copyright material where the owner is unknown or unlocatable. The scheme allows for copyright owners to assert their rights in the rare case an owner is later identified. The search requirements under the scheme may reunite copyright owners with works that have unintentionally become orphaned and allow them to benefit from their exclusive rights. The Bill also clarifies that existing exceptions for the use of copyright material in classrooms and online settings will equally apply. However, creator groups have warned against further weakening of Australia's copyright framework.