1. Australia is bound by the Paris Convention. Patent applicants must file an Australian patent application within 12 months from the priority date, and according to Chapter I or Chapter II of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the time limit for applicants to enter the national phase is 3 1 month from the priority date.
2. Australia has absolute novelty requirements for patent applications. Australia has a grace period of 12 months for patent applications: that is, if the applicant discloses the invention within 12 months before the filing date (or PCT international filing date) of a non-provisional application with the designated applicant country as Australia, the novelty or creativity of the Australian application will not be affected.