MOTIONS
Senator AYRES (New South Wales—Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science) (10:07): Let me make a few observations about this particular proposition and then about the government's approach to this set of questions. The first is that we heard a lot from the Greens political party last week about the sacrosanct nature of Thursday afternoon debates.
You don't do the Senate any favours with 10 minutes notice of a— Senator Shoebridge interjecting— Senator AYRES: I don't want to contradict the smartest senator in the room. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order, Senator Shoebridge! Senator AYRES: I don't want to contradict galaxy-brain over there.
Senator Shoebridge: Through the chair, mate! Through the chair, buddy! The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, it probably would help if you directed your comments through me.
Senator AYRES: I should, Deputy Chair, and I will. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you. Senator AYRES: If there were any political seriousness at all from the Greens political party and not a desperate attempt to cover over their catastrophic last couple of days, then there would not be 10 minutes notice of something that they claim is a species risk.
These two propositions cannot sit alongside each other. This is just about political convenience. It is not about the substance of these questions; their approach on these issues never has been.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Shoebridge, on a point of order? Senator Shoebridge: The minister is clearly not speaking to urgency. That's the debate.
The PRESIDENT: Minister, I will bring you back to the debate before the chair, which is the question of urgency. Senator AYRES: I would say, on the point of order, that, obviously, credibility goes to urgency. What I'm indicating is it is not a credible position— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, I'll rule on the point of order.
I will remind you that we are debating the suspension motion. It's important that we do relate our comments to the suspension motion; however, you have the call. Senator AYRES: It is in no way a proper use of the Senate's time now to deal with this question.
It is a crude and base political stunt. It is. Senator Shoebridge interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order!
Senator Shoebridge, you were heard in silence! Senator AYRES: Senator Shoebridge has just given the game away. What he was talking about was the clip.
What is this about? It is about the video clip that poor old Senator Shoebridge is desperately hoping that the cover up of the woes of the Greens political party is a social media clip. Senator Shoebridge and others—and I largely agree with them—carry on about the corrosive impact of social media in our political discourse.
I agree, but you're part of the problem. This Senate institution— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: We are getting a long way from the motion. Senator AYRES: The motion goes to urgency.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Yes, thank you for bringing us back there. Senator AYRES: Senator Shoebridge says this is about video clips. He has— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Waters, a point of order?
Senator Waters: A point of order on reflecting adversely on a senator. Reel it in, and come to the topic at hand. You're entirely unprepared on this issue, and it shows.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Waters, resume your seat. Minister, you have the call. Direct your comments through the chair.
Senator AYRES: I agree with some of Senator Waters's observation there too. Senator Shoebridge gave 80 per cent of the game away, and Senator Waters gave the last 20 per cent of the game away. It's about clips, and it's what was called, in that great COVID era show— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Shoebridge, on a point of order?
Senator Shoebridge: This minister could, at some point, address the substance of the issue. Either talk about the extinction risk, which he's refusing to do, or talk about urgency and why the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill is more important. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Shoebridge, resume your seat.
Minister, you have the call. Senator AYRES: In that great COVID era show Kim's Convenience, it's what the owner of the convenience shop called the sneak attack. From Senator Waters it's, 'We'll bowl up five minutes before with a brand new proposition.' It is all about the most facile politics.
What the Albanese government is— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, resume your seat. Senator Allman-Payne? Senator Allman-Payne: On a point of order, the senator is making imputations about the motivations of senators.
He needs to speak to the urgency, or his argument is not urgent. Senator Shoebridge interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Shoebridge, don't interject when I'm making a ruling. Senator Allman-Payne, there was no imputation.
I will bring the minister back to the question at hand. Senator AYRES: The approach from the Albanese government is very straightforward. It is to make sure, not just for economic reasons but for strategic reasons and for the safety and long-term agency and resilience of the Australian people, that we capture the right artificial intelligence capacity in Australia for our agency and for our capacity for Australia as a nation, not just now but into the future; that we make sure that we spread the benefits of this technology right through our community; and that we are completely focused on safety.
The Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute is doing its work. It's engaging with many of the countries that Senator Shoebridge's resolution touches on to get under the bonnet of these frontier models and to engage with our intelligence communities and others to make sure that artificial intelligence in Australia is in the national interest and that our AI standards are— (Time expired)