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AI in Australian government

Government is the one sector where responsible AI is already mandatory. Non-corporate Commonwealth entities operate under a binding DTA policy with accountable officials, public transparency statements and use-case impact assessments, NSW mandates its own assessment framework, and a legal framework for automated decision-making is being developed in response to the Robodebt Royal Commission.

DTADept of FinanceAPSCAGDDigital NSW

Last reviewed September 2026. Every entry links to its official source.

The rules

What applies today

The binding whole-of-government policy for AI use in the APS. Mandatory requirements include designated accountable AI officials, public AI transparency statements, a strategic approach to AI adoption, use-case level accountability, internal AI use-case registers, staff training and risk-based AI impact assessments. Version 2.0 replaced the original September 2024 policy and significantly strengthened the requirements.

Who this affects: All non-corporate Commonwealth entities, with limited exceptions. A strong voluntary benchmark for state agencies and government suppliers.

Latest updates

What changed recently

  1. The Office of AI in PM&C opened consultation on the Australian Standards for AI, proposing mandatory standards for large data centres and conditions for AI training rather than obligations on organisations deploying AI; submissions close 9 October 2026.

    PM&C: have your say on AI training and infrastructure

  2. NSW published version 1.1 of its mandatory AI Operational Policy under Circular DCS-2026-02, requiring accountable officials, registration of all AI use cases in the AIAF Platform, referral of high-risk cases to the AI Review Committee and annual attestations.

    NSW circular DCS-2026-02

  3. National Cabinet agreed that nine governments will develop consistent mandatory standards for data centre energy, water and land use, legislated by the Commonwealth in early 2027 to complement state planning processes.

    National Cabinet communique

  4. Queensland released FAIRA LITE, a lighter risk assessment for low-risk AI trials under its AI governance policy.

    QGEA: FAIRA LITE

  5. Parliament appointed a Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence whose terms of reference include Commonwealth agencies' AI adoption and the transparency and accountability measures that apply, reporting by 30 November 2026.

    Parliament of Australia: Joint Select Committee on AI

  6. South Australia announced Australia's first Royal Commission into Artificial Intelligence, commencing 1 October 2026 and reporting by 1 July 2027.

    SA DPC announcement

  7. The Australian AI Safety Institute published its first report, on risks and controls for multi-agent AI systems, prepared by Gradient Institute.

    Department of Industry news

  8. The Government established a six-member AI Review Committee providing expert advice on high-risk, sensitive, novel or complex AI use cases across the APS. Agencies remain accountable for their own AI risk management.

    DTA: new AI Review Committee

  9. The DTA published an agentic AI addendum to the government AI technical standard, with best practice for agencies deploying AI systems that plan and act autonomously, emphasising human oversight and guardrails.

    DTA: trustworthy AI agents guidance

  10. The DTA launched a central register of AI transparency statements. All 94 agencies subject to the transparency standard had met their publishing obligations, with a further 20 publishing voluntarily.

    DTA: central register of AI transparency statements

Getting ready

Compliance checklist

  • Designate accountable AI officials and assign an accountable officer to every AI use case. See the rule

  • Publish and maintain a public AI transparency statement; it now appears on the DTA's central register. See the rule

  • Maintain an internal register of all in-scope AI use cases. See the rule

  • Complete an AI impact assessment before deploying a use case, and refer residual high-risk or sensitive cases to the AI Review Committee. See the rule

  • Apply the AI technical standard, including the agentic AI addendum where relevant, and the AI procurement checklist when buying AI. See the rule

  • NSW agencies: complete the AI Assessment Framework workbook and refer high or critical-risk systems to the NSW AI Review Committee. See the rule

  • Train staff in AI fundamentals and keep human oversight over decisions that affect people, especially recruitment. See the rule

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