A foreign AI agent hacking a critical Australian government database is a serious attack on Australia's sovereign interests.
The fact that OpenAI, a US company with close ties to the Trump administration, waited three months before notifying the government of a hack to the Medicare database is a serious diplomatic incident that the Prime Minister should be treating as such.
The US Ambassador should be summoned urgently to provide a clear explanation of what the US government knew, and when, and what policy responses they are taking to this serious attack.
Greens are also calling for laws that make AI companies liable when their agents break into systems, and full answers on how a Medicare portal was left so exposed.
As stated by Acting Leader of the Australian Greens, Mehreen Faruqi:
"Instead of sucking up to Trump and his AI cronies, Albanese should be calling in the US Ambassador and demanding accountability.
"This breach by a foreign AI company on an Australian government database is deeply alarming and brings home the risks that these out of control tech corporations pose. The fact that the Government did not even know it happened is disturbing.
"Tech bro billionaires and their government yes men would be happy to trade the security of public infrastructure, not to mention the destruction of our climate and water, in the pursuit of megaprofits. They simply cannot be trusted.
"These billion dollar corporations will not take taskforce investigations or statements seriously. They will respond to strength. Now is the time for the Prime Minister to fight for Australia's interests and implement a moratorium on data centres in Australia until we have regulations protecting people and the country.
"If hacking Medicare and taking two months to alert the government doesn't push Labor to treat AI with the seriousness it deserves, what will?"
As stated by Greens AI spokesperson Senator David Shoebridge:
"The PM is over in the US mugging for selfies with the guy who removed all regulation from some of the biggest and most dangerous AI companies in the world.
"A US company linked to the Trump administration hacking what is arguably the most valuable and sensitive database in Australia is a serious attack on Australia's sovereignty.
"The US Ambassador must be summoned to explain what the US government knew and what policy responses they are taking to this serious attack from a major US corporation.
"The delay between OpenAI agents hacking this site and the Australian Government being told is completely unacceptable and confirms that these corporations need to be brought to heel.
"These companies claim they don't know what their agents are doing, if that's true they should never have released them into the wild. Their recklessness is a major global risk.
"If this could happen to a Medicare portal, Australians deserve a full audit of how exposed every government system is to autonomous agents, starting with the ones that hold our most personal data."
