Government to legislate mandatory ‘Australian Standards for AI’
Government announced it will legislate mandatory 'Australian Standards for AI'; to be considered by National Cabinet in August 2026, legislation expected early 2027.
What it means
On 15 July 2026 the government announced it will legislate mandatory “Australian Standards for AI”.
A new Office of AI will sit inside the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The mandatory obligations named so far centre on large-scale data centres and copyright, not on how most businesses use AI.
For a typical business, nothing concrete is in place yet. National Cabinet considers the framework in August 2026 and legislation is expected early in 2027.
Applies to: Large-scale data centres initially
Related instrument: Australian Standards for AI