James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The governance of artificial intelligence poses one of the 21st century's greatest public policy challenges. AI is the wheel, the printing press and the steam engine. Everything is going to change; everything is changing. Any AI policy framework ought to safeguard Australia's cybersecurity, intellectual property rights, national security and democratic institutions without infringing on the potential opportunities that AI presents in relation to job creation and productivity.

As we approach the two-year anniversary of the public release of ChatGPT this week, these threats to our sovereignty have been clear and in the public domain for 24 months, yet the federal government has done absolutely nothing to deal with these threats to Australia's cybersecurity, intellectual property rights and national security across the entire two-year period. Indeed, in January this year, as part of its Safe and responsible AI in Australia consultation report, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources stated:

… existing laws … do not adequately prevent AI-facilitated harms before they occur, and more work is needed to ensure there is an adequate response to harms after they occur.

This Labor government has been asleep at the wheel. There has been not one single item of legislation or serious attempt at a bipartisan approach.

Though reports suggest AI could create 200,000 new jobs and contribute up to $115 billion to Australia's economy, there are threats to our security and our intellectual property rights. The Labor government has neglected its responsibility to deal with any of the threats that the growth of AI poses to the Australian people and their entities.