Remarks – Powering Intelligence – Media, Culture and the Future of Innovation

Good afternoon everyone,

It’s a pleasure to join you here today.

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the land we are meeting on today, and I pay my respects to elders past and present.

I too acknowledge the creative, media and technology leaders joining us here this afternoon.

Right now, the world is confronting extraordinary challenges. We also live in a time of rapid change and advancements in science, technology and the way we work.

There can be no more important moment, then, to reaffirm the Albanese Labor Government’s unwavering commitment to Australian arts, our stories and vibrant media. This is a core value.

I say to you in no uncertain terms: the Government has your back.

All great nations invest in their arts and culture to reflect their diversity. Australia is no different.

Australian creatives lead the world in music, literature and visual arts.

Central to this is ensuring that copyright law protects your creations.

These laws have served us well for over half a century of nation-building, growth, war, technology and the rise of our proud multicultural fabric.

Just like every industry, the Government strongly encourages companies to work within our robust copyright framework to ensure our creative and media industries are fairly compensated.

The Government has been clear for some time that there are no plans to weaken copyright protections when it comes to AI.

This includes explicitly ruling out a Text and Data Mining exception, which I was extremely proud to announce last year.

We have now seen the UK follow suit. This is a positive step, and I welcome this decision.

As many of you are aware, the Government is consulting a broad range of stakeholders through the Copyright and AI Reference Group, which brings together creators, industry, and experts such as yourselves to shape how copyright works in the age of AI.

I thank those of you here today who have been actively involved in this process.

While this work is underway, events such as this are also vital in exploring sensible and workable solutions that support innovation while ensuring creators are fairly compensated.

I know that today’s discussions will contribute to that outcome.

Thank you.