Bloomberg reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in Canberra on 10 November that Australia will create an AI safety regulator with power to impose “significant penalties” on companies that do the wrong thing. Albanese said the regulator would be included in AI legislation the government is drafting. Companies would have to notify the government of security incidents and permit independent evaluations of their models.
The proposed legislation would set six mandatory safety and security requirements for AI companies, News24 reported. Companies would have to maintain security controls, identify and manage risks, report incidents, allow independent model evaluations, publish safety and security frameworks, and respond to updated standards as the technology develops.
Albanese also announced the release of recommendations from a Rapid Review into an OpenAI incident that compromised government websites. The review made 18 recommendations, including mandatory reporting of misaligned behaviour and cyber incidents by AI companies. Albanese said the government had accepted all 18 and begun work to implement them.
