Building a responsive, anticipatory approach to AI governance in Australia

Australia’s move away from a standalone AI Act is not a missed opportunity but rather a context-driven governance approach leveraging existing laws to address algorithmic harms. However, the success of such an approach hinges on the government's capacity to remain accountable to the standards it sets and to maintain responsive sectoral responses amid a changing landscape.

The choice is not between digital growth and climate responsibility. A national decarbonization pathway can expand Australia's data centre capacity while protecting energy and water security, communities and critical services.

Industrial policy in Australia could be strategically leveraged to address food system challenges by promoting health, sustainability, social equity and economic resilience through coordinated innovation and exnovation, infrastructure support for local small producers, improved labour conditions and coherent cross-sectoral policies.