Govt to develop framework regulating the use of ADM within federal agencies

The federal government has unveiled a series of AI safety priorities to strengthen protections, increase accountability, and support the safe adoption of AI across the community and within the Commonwealth Government itself.

These include developing a framework to better regulate the use of automated decision-making (ADM) within federal agencies, led by the Attorney-General, recognising the importance of ensuring fair, accurate and transparent government decision-making, including in the context of emerging technologies such as AI.

In May, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) announced it is seeking information and views to inform the development of guidance on the ADM transparency obligation coming into effect later this year.

The ADM obligation, which commences on 10 December 2026, introduces requirements that companies must include information in privacy policies about the kinds of personal information used in, and types of decisions made by, computer programs that use personal information to make decisions that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect the rights or interests of an individual.

Other priorities identified by government include consulting on a second tranche of privacy reform to responsibly strengthen, modernise and simplify Australia’s personal data protection laws, led by the Attorney-General. 

The government will also pursue AI safety in the workplace as one of the five agreed priority areas of the tripartite Artificial Intelligence Workplace and Employment Forum, led by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

These whole-of-government AI safety priorities build on the establishment of the AI Safety Institute in November of last year, which has commenced safety testing of frontier AI systems. 

In December, the government introduced the National AI Plan, a roadmap to "build an AI-enabled economy".

At the end of last month, the government announced it is bringing together experts from across government to form an AI Review Committee, aiming to support the public service to maximise the opportunities of AI, while responsibly managing potential risks and harms.