Overview
- Attorney-General Michelle Rowland confirmed the government will not create a text-and-data-mining exception for AI training and will not weaken copyright protections.
- The Copyright and AI Reference Group is meeting this week to explore paid collective licensing options, clarify how the law applies to AI-generated material, and consider a lower-cost small claims route for enforcement.
- Creative industry groups including ARIA, APRA AMCOS and major media companies welcomed the decision and urged rapid negotiations on licensing frameworks.
- The move rebuffs calls from tech leaders such as Atlassian’s Scott Farquhar and an interim Productivity Commission proposal that had floated a TDM or fair-dealing exception, which drew criticism for limited consultation.
- Digital rights advocates warned that broader data-use issues remain unresolved, including AI ingestion of social media content and personal data without meaningful consent.