Australian AI Committee Calls for Independent Audits, Security Access, and Copyright Overhaul

A bipartisan parliamentary inquiry presented early advice to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, urging independent oversight of AI developers, mandatory safety checks, and early access for agencies such as the Australian Signals Directorate to frontier AI models. The committee also recommended reserving computing power for domestic security and research, and investing in data centres under national standards. In response to an OpenAI breach that accessed Medicare data, it called for a review of copyright legislation to ensure Australian creators retain control and receive payment.

The recommendations, signed by Labor chair Jo Briskey and Liberal deputy chair Jonno Duniam, will be compiled into a final report due at the end of November, while the government plans to introduce AI standards legislation by the end of the year and pass it by early 2027. ARIA chief Annabelle Herd argued existing licensing could support AI training, and OpenAI’s Jason Kwon said the firm would back mandatory disclosure frameworks. The inquiry also suggested establishing a standing parliamentary committee to monitor AI developments and incidents.