MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (16:02): This morning I was pleased to be a speaker at the AI showcase in the Great Hall of this very building. It was an opportunity to see firsthand some of the incredible Australian businesses, researchers and innovators already working with artificial intelligence. What stood out to me was not simply the technology itself but the potential behind it—the potential to build new Australian industries, improve productivity, strengthen existing businesses and create opportunities that only a few years ago would have been difficult to imagine.
AI could be the single biggest change to our economy since Australia heavily industrialised in the post-World-War-II era. With this comes great opportunity, but we must also approach the future with caution. If we get this right, then we can improve the complexity of our economy, deliver higher levels of productivity and build a more prosperous nation.
But I am cautious that, without the right settings, we could leave parts of Australia's workforce behind, particularly workers in lower skilled occupations, like in my electorate of Spence, who may have fewer opportunities to adapt as technology changes their industries. That has to be central to this conversation. Technological progress cannot simply be measured by how sophisticated our AI systems become.
It must also be measured by whether Australians are better off because of them. There is no doubt that artificial intelligence presents enormous opportunities, particularly in the realm of sovereign capability. We should not simply be consumers of technologies developed overseas.
We should be developing technology here, building businesses here and ensuring Australian ideas can contribute to the next generation of global innovation. That is why the Albanese government's national AI plan is built around three pillars: capturing opportunity, spreading the benefits and keeping Australians safe. Capturing the opportunity means encouraging investment, innovation and Australian capability, spreading the benefits means ensuring productivity gains translate into better opportunities and higher living standards across our community.
Keeping Australians safe means establishing the protections and standards necessary for people to have confidence in the technology they are using. Trust must be must be fundamental. Without trust from workers, businesses and the broader community, this transformation will struggle to deliver its full potential.
That is why this government has been building the framework Australia needs as AI continues to develop. Over recent months we have released the national AI plan, established national expectations for data centres and AI infrastructure, established the AI Safety Institute and created the Office of AI within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. We have also announced our intentions to legislate Australian standards for AI.
These standards are providing clear and consistent rules while allowing Australia to continue innovating. Perhaps the biggest question remains what this transformation means for Australian workers. We should be upfront about that.
Some jobs will change significantly. Some tasks will disappear. New occupations will emerge, while skills that are valuable today may look very different in 10 or 20 years.
Government, industry, unions, and the education and training sector all have a role to play in preparing Australians for that transition. We cannot allow a divide to emerge between workers who benefit from AI and those whose jobs are displaced by it. The measure of our success will not simply be whether Australia adopts AI quickly.
The real measure of success will be what this technology delivers for Australians. Greater productivity should translate into higher living standards and a stronger economy. More sophisticated industries can create new opportunities, build Australian capability and help our businesses compete on the world stage.
Most importantly, the benefits of that growth must be shared with the workers and communities who help make it possible. Embracing AI is not simply about adopting new technology; it's about using that technology to build a stronger, more productive and more prosperous Australia and whether the prosperity created by this technology reaches communities right across our country.
AI will continue to change. The opportunities will grow and new risks will undoubtedly emerge. Our job is not to fear that change, nor is it to embrace every development without question.
It is to shape it, to give Australia agency and capability over our own future, to capture the opportunity, spread the benefits and keep Australians safe. If we can do that then I believe artificial intelligence can become something much more important, helping to deliver a more productive, prosperous and capable Australia.