Australian committee recommends AI data safeguards and standards

The committee said the government should set clear requirements for data stored, processed, accessed, owned, protected or used in AI systems.[1] It recommended that those requirements address jurisdictional control, cross-border transfers and foreign access.[1] The safeguards should also cover privacy, intellectual property, and sensitive government, commercial and national-security information.[1] The committee separately recommended examining copyright settings so Australian creators retain control over the use of their works and are paid.[1] For organizations using AI, the proposed scope places data handling and rights among the central issues for future policy.

The committee recommended a proportionate, risk-based framework for developing and deploying AI systems.[1] Its proposed requirements include model evaluation, safety testing, cybersecurity, transparency, accountability, human oversight and ongoing monitoring.[1] For frontier labs, it recommended timely monitoring and reporting of incidents to the Australian government.[1] It also proposed embedding independent, qualified individuals in frontier labs, with employee-like access to their systems and activities.[1] These are recommendations, not a description of requirements already in force. The committee also recommended that government consider additional funding for the AI Safety Institute.[1]

The committee recommended nationally consistent standards for data-centre development and operation, with state and territory governments adopting them through planning laws and broader policy.[1] The proposed standards would cover resource consumption, planning and approvals, community input, social licence and compliance.[1] The committee’s recommendations also refer to access to reliable, competitively priced energy, water, telecommunications connectivity, computing capacity and secure supply chains.[1] It proposed comprehensive principles for AI development, deployment and use in Australia, intended to support a competitive Australian AI industry.[1] It said Australian standards should be internationally interoperable and aligned, where appropriate, with recognised technical standards and assurance frameworks.[1]

The committee was appointed by resolutions of the House of Representatives and Senate on 20 August 2026, and its reporting date was 30 November 2026.[2] It sent its early advice to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on 12 October 2026, saying AI’s rapid change made arrangements urgent to safeguard the nation and provide certainty to the community and industry.[1] The committee described the correspondence as an early indicator of its work, and the advice was a letter rather than a bill or final report.[1][3] Other recommendations include an ongoing parliamentary joint standing committee for industry accountability, a review of government data repositories, and early model access for agencies such as the Australian Signals Directorate under arrangements guided by the ASD.[1]