Albanese's AI speech delivers new office and data-center rules, still ducks copyright

In the AI speech previewed a day earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a new office of AI within his department and promised "the strongest possible protection" for Australian writers, musicians, and artists, saying it would be "theft" if they lost control or payment for their work. He rejected giving OpenAI and Anthropic free use of Australian data and set strict new rules for data centers covering siting, land use, and power and water consumption, alongside fast-tracked approvals to shore up AI investment. He still stopped short of detailing concrete copyright reforms, as had been expected.

View full digest for July 15, 2026