Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised stronger copyright protections for Australian artists, writers, photographers and journalists, making clear that AI companies must license creative work rather than scrape it for training models. The pledge, delivered in a major speech outlining Australia's wider AI strategy, signals that the government intends to give creators control over both whether and how their content is used.
"Anything less is theft," Albanese said. "No company should use Australian books, music, art or news to build or train AI without the artist's control, and that includes the artist's control of the price and value of their work."
Licensing, not scraping
The Prime Minister's language marks a direct challenge to the common industry practice of mining copyrighted images, text and audio to train large language models and image generators. While no new copyright legislation has been introduced, Albanese said Australia's existing framework could be strengthened to require permission and compensation. He acknowledged that no country has yet found the right balance between AI innovation and creators' rights, but said Australia intends to shape those rules rather than follow overseas precedents.
For creative professionals navigating these changes, resources like AI for Creatives can help track emerging regulations and tools that respect copyright. The debate over training data is especially acute in fields like generative art, where models often rely on large datasets of copyrighted works.
Industry welcomes the signal
The Australian Recording Industry Association praised the announcement. Chief executive Annabelle Herd said the speech sent a "clear message" that AI companies should negotiate licensing agreements with rights holders. "Australian writers and musicians keep ownership and control of their work. Artists control what that work is worth, not the government and not a technology company."
Albanese's speech did not include specific legislative changes, but the government's consultation process is expected to address copyright alongside broader AI regulation in the coming months.
Why this matters for creatives
If the government follows through, photographers, illustrators, writers and musicians in Australia could gain enforceable rights to demand payment for any past or future use of their work in AI training sets. That would make Australia one of the few jurisdictions to put creator consent and compensation at the center of AI policy, rather than leaving tech companies to set the terms unilaterally.
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