Portfolio — 26 March 2026

The Attorney-General, Ms Rowland, used a ministerial media release on 26 March to draw a clear line on copyright policy in the age of artificial intelligence: the government will not weaken existing protections for creators, and a Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception — the mechanism that would allow AI companies to train on copyrighted material without licensing — is explicitly off the table [TA-260326-attorn-98d2d2696cee].

The TDM exclusion is the sharpest policy signal in the release. Several comparable jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, have debated or implemented TDM exceptions; the Attorney-General's statement positions Australia against that trend and firmly on the side of rights-holders.

The release frames the government's broader posture as one of cultural investment rather than technological accommodation, with the Attorney-General asserting that all great nations invest in their creative industries to reflect national diversity [TA-260326-attorn-98d2d2696cee]. The vehicle for ongoing engagement is the Copyright and AI Reference Group, which is consulting stakeholders to determine how copyright should function alongside AI — with the dual objective of ensuring fair creator compensation and not impeding innovation [TA-260326-attorn-98d2d2696cee].

The Reference Group's existence signals that the government is not treating this as a settled question beyond the TDM exclusion; the consultation process will shape the remaining policy architecture.

No parliamentary segment is present for this date, so there is no chamber record to cross-reference. The comms record alone establishes the Attorney-General's position: protection first, consultation ongoing, and a specific technical exclusion already locked in.