Australia Rules Out AI Training Copyright Exemption

The Albanese government has explicitly ruled out creating a copyright exception to allow tech companies to freely mine Australian creative works for AI training, rejecting the Productivity Commission's proposal. Attorney‑General Michelle Rowland said there are "no plans to weaken copyright protections" and urged the tech and creative sectors to find sensible, workable solutions that compensate creators. The Productivity Commission estimated a targeted text‑and‑data‑mining exception could add about AU$116 billion to the economy over a decade and pointed to limited exceptions overseas. The proposal provoked fierce pushback from authors, artists and unions who warned it would amount to unpaid appropriation, while some tech figures, including Atlassian co‑founder Scott Farquhar, backed loosening restrictions. The government is convening a copyright and AI reference group to explore lawful uses of copyrighted material, clarify how copyright applies to AI‑generated content and consider measures such as a small‑claims forum to reduce enforcement costs. Industry representatives such as Screenrights welcomed the clarity, but negotiations over licensing and creator compensation between tech companies and creators are expected to be the next battleground.