Parliament House, Canberra
E&OE
Subjects: Artificial intelligence
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie): My question is to the Attorney-General. What's the Albanese Labor government doing to protect Australian creatives when it comes to artificial intelligence?
Ms ROWLAND (Greenway-Attorney-General): I thank the member for her question. A core Labor value is supporting Australian voices, Australian culture and Australian stories. And, of course, this government has two great champions for the arts in our Prime Minister and in the Leader of the House and Minister for the Arts.
Artificial intelligence presents significant opportunities for Australia and our economy. However, it's important that Australian creatives benefit from these opportunities too. Australian creatives are not only world class but also the lifeblood of Australian culture. We must ensure that the right legal protections are in place. The Albanese government has consistently said there are no plans to weaken copyright protections when it comes to AI. Some in the technology sector have called for the introduction of a broad text and data mining exception. Under such a proposal, artificial intelligence developers would be able to use the works of Australian creators for free and without permission to train AI systems. The government stands behind Australia's creative industries. That is why we have ruled out a text and data mining exception, and that's to provide certainty for Australian creators.
We welcome the support that has been expressed right across the creative industries. Annabelle Herd, the CEO of ARIA, said:
"It's absolutely a critical step in the right direction."
"It is a win for creativity and Australian culture, including First Nations culture, but it's also a win for common sense."
Australian Society of Authors CEO, Lucy Hayward, said:
"People deserve to be paid for their work. It's as simple as that."
That's what the government has confirmed with this announcement. Australian singer-songwriter, Holly Rankin, better known as Jack River, said:
"We are on the right side of history on this - people should be paid for their work."
And the great Kate Ceberano said,
"It's a day to celebrate."
I couldn't agree more.
Work is underway to ensure that Australia is prepared for future copyright challenges emerging from AI. That's why I've made the decision to reconvene the copyright and AI reference group over the next two days. It will have a renewed focus on three priority areas: firstly, encouraging fair, legal avenues for using copyright material in AI; secondly, exploring opportunities to clarify how copyright law applies to material generated through the use of AI; and thirdly, examining avenues for less costly enforcement of copyright infringement. We encourage the tech industry and the creative sector to come together now and find sensible and workable solutions to support innovation, while ensuring creators are fairly compensated.
