Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Artificial intelligence is bringing a massive shift to our workplaces, and this Labor government is working to ensure everyday Australians aren't left behind. Looking at the motion put forward today, you'd be forgiven for thinking that those opposite have suddenly become the great defenders of the Australian worker. Frankly, it's a bit rich coming from a party with a long and miserable track record of attacking workers' conditions. They want us to forget that they spent the last decade fighting against better pay, trying to strip away essential protections and literally cheering when our local auto manufacturing industry closed its doors. Now they want to be seen as the saviours of workers facing technological change. Give me a break!

We all know what their real approach to technology and industry looks like. Just a few weeks ago, Senator Bragg let the cat out of the bag when he was asked for his views on AI. His answer was simply that the government just needs to get out of the way. That is completely at odds with what our government believes. We back working people. We know that by getting everyone around the table—unions, employers and the training sector—we can make sure workers actually get ahead.

Despite those opposite having no road map on AI, they are making an absurd claim that we have no plan for workers whose jobs are changing, and that is simply not true. Helping people navigate these shifts doesn't mean leaving them to fend for themselves, as Senator Bragg suggested we do. It requires genuine investment in lifelong training—something those opposite have historically undermined through repeated cuts to skills and training. It requires making workplace laws stronger, which, again, historically, those opposite have banded against. It means ensuring the enormous economic gains from this technology flow to working people and not be concentrated with the few, as those opposite have consistently preferred.

In other words, the work needed to protect workers goes right to the heart of Labor's bread-and-butter priorities. It's exactly why we've invested heavily in education and why we are rolling out fee-free TAFE. Through our massive $12.6 billion National Skills Agreement, we are supercharging the VET sector and making sure Australians have the hands-on digital skills that they need for tomorrow. This is what real support looks like—not the empty rhetoric of an opposition that will cut funding to skills and training the second that they get the opportunity.

The coalition also tries to claim that there is policy inertia and confusion on this side of the House. Again, I think they're living in their own fantasy land, not in reality. Our National AI Plan is a crystal-clear road map to make sure these new tools build a fairer country. The economic upside is huge, and we're looking to inject up to $200 billion into our economy every year, generating 150,000 brand-new jobs by the end of the decade. We are focused on grabbing on to those economic opportunities, making sure that the benefits reach every postcode and putting the right guidelines in place to keep people safe. Instead of the opposition's bizarre claim that we've scrapped the expertise—we're actually putting $29.9 million on the table to build a permanent, dedicated AI safety institute. Getting up and running early next year, this institute will give our regulators the teeth and the expert advice that they need to stay ahead of the curve.

Just today, we announced a new, strict five-step framework for tech giants wanting to build data centres and use artificial intelligence in Australia. Under this framework, these companies must help pay for the renewable energy infrastructure and grid upgrades, with the aim of ensuring costs aren't passed on to households and businesses. These tech companies will also need to use water responsibly and make their computing power available to local businesses. Across our government, ministers are moving in the exact same direction. From workplace relations to education, we are heavily coordinating the rollout.

We're doing all of this because we know that AI, when implemented with a real understanding of our community's needs, can be genuinely life changing. Earlier this month, I visited Dementia Australia's pop-up here at parliament, where they showed how they train healthcare workers in AI through immersive simulations to better support people living with dementia. It's a practical example of this technology at its best. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world, but our government's approach is grounded in our Labor values of fairness, inclusion and opportunity. While those opposite often lose sight of these principles, Labor is committed to ensuring AI enhances workers' skills and never simply replaces them.

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