AustraliaAI regulation

Regulation Status

• ❗️ This tracker only tracks developments at the Commonwealth (federal) level.
• The Australian Government has announced plans for mandatory “Australian Standards for AI” and the creation of an Office of AI. The standards remain in development: the Government has set an end-2026 target, and National Cabinet has agreed to a nationally consistent framework by early 2027, including mandatory standards for large data centres. Copyright is under separate review; these announced plans are not yet binding rules.
• Mandatory AI governance obligations now apply within the Commonwealth public sector. From 15 June 2026, under the DTA's Policy for the Responsible Use of AI in Government (Version 2.0), non-corporate Commonwealth entities must maintain internal registers of in-scope AI use cases with accountable owners, publish standardised AI transparency statements, and ensure foundational AI literacy training for Australian Public Service staff; further obligations on impact assessments, oversight processes and incident reporting are scheduled to commence in December 2026. Federal AI ethics principles and a national AI assurance framework are available; NSW has a separate mandatory framework for state agencies.
• Online safety enforcement is active against AI-generated sexual and child-safety harms. By June 2026, eSafety Commissioner action under the Online Safety Act and Age-Restricted Material codes had resulted in seven widely used AI “nudify” services withdrawing from Australia or taking compliance measures; eSafety is also examining gatekeeper services and may pursue civil penalties for non-compliance.