RMIT Library is participating in a sector-wide renegotiation of agreements with several publishers, led by the Council of Australasian University Librarians.
Last updated: 18 December 2025
Latest developments
16 December 2025: The Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL) has reached an in-principle agreement with Elsevier. Read the press release (PDF).
28 November 2025: CAUL has reached agreement in principle for read and publish agreements with global publishers Springer Nature and Wiley. Read the press release (PDF).
14 November 2025: The Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL) announces landmark new Taylor & Francis agreement, while pausing negotiations with Elsevier. Read the press release (PDF).
About the negotiations
The Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL) is currently negotiating on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand university sector for new agreements, commencing 2026, with four commercial publishers: Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and Taylor & Francis.
CAUL is negotiating in good faith for:
- refreshed pricing models that deliver better value for universities
- simplified and increased open access publishing opportunities for individual researchers and universities through uncapped publishing entitlements and fully inclusive title lists
- free “read” access to all research output.
Why are we renegotiating agreements
At RMIT, we're focused on amplifying the translation and impact of our research for positive societal impact. When our researchers can publish the best of their research to the best journals without prohibitive cost barriers, society benefits.
Since 2023, RMIT's Read and Publish (R&P) agreements with Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and Taylor & Francis have enabled RMIT authors to avoid more than $9.5M of Article Processing Charges (August 2025).
However, these R&P agreements were intended as interim steps toward full open access. There is still a way to go to ensure that Universities are getting a fair deal from commercial publishers, by addressing inflated legacy pricing, as well as the uncertainty and frustration caused by capped agreements and other limitations in current agreements, such as excluded titles.
Timings and impacts
These negotiations impact agreements due to commence in 2026. As of 16 December 2025, all agreements have been reached. Access to Read and Publish agreements with the above publishers will continue.
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