New piracy laws mean it may soon be harder for Australians to illegally download their favourite shows and music.



Legislation to allow rights holders to seek a court injunction to force internet service providers to block access to overseas websites that facilitate piracy passed the Senate on Monday.



Foreign sites that allow illegal downloads of TV shows, movies or music will be shut off to Australians. The laws, which were backed by Labor, will not cover locally hosted sites.

The federal government believes the laws will protect the viability and success of creative industries while restricting the profitability of sites that facilitate piracy.



“Australians love creative content,” government frontbencher Concetta Fierravanti-Wells told the Senate. “They need to be reminded that if they take too much without giving back, they will jeopardise the content that they love.”

The Greens failed to amend the legislation to tighten the threshold for a site to be deemed a facilitator of illegal downloading and explicitly exclude virtual private networks (VPNs).



“We are trying to minimise the risk of collateral damage,” Greens senator Scott Ludlam said.



The government says VPNs – which enable users to disguise their location – will not be targeted.



Crossbench senators David Leyonhjelm, Ricky Muir and Glenn Lazarus joined the Greens in opposing the bill. Leyonhjelm criticised the legislation as “vaguely drafted” and unlikely to achieve its aims. He warned injunctions could be used against legitimate sites.

“Website blocking is a drastic remedy and a blunt tool,” Leyonhjelm told the upper house.



When granting an injunction, the federal court must consider the seriousness of the infringement, whether blocking access is appropriate or in the public interest, and the impact on people likely to be affected.



Following recommendations from a parliamentary committee, the government agreed to review the laws after 18 months and require a landing page to be pasted on blocked sites to notify users of the court order.



Foxtel released a statement congratulating the government and Labor for recognising piracy as theft and acknowledging the harm it caused Australian businesses.



“These offshore sites are not operated by noble spirits fighting for the freedom of the internet, they are run by criminals who profit from stealing other people’s creative endeavours,” chief executive Richard Freudenstein said in a statement.



Freudenstein said the laws were modelled on similar legislation in places such as the UK, and rejected claims they would prevent legitimate uses of the internet.