A parliamentary committee examining artificial intelligence policy sent a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that had undergone review and editing by advisers in his office prior to its transmission, according to documents reviewed by media outlets. The letter, sent Monday evening by Labor MP and inquiry chair Jo Briskey alongside Liberal senator Jonno Duniam, contained recommendations addressing copyright concerns, AI safeguards, sovereign capability, and AI literacy issues.
Senior advisers in the prime minister’s office made multiple edits to the document, with some changes occurring as late as 8:55pm, approximately 35 minutes before the letter was formally transmitted. Independent senator David Pocock, who served on the committee, expressed concern about this intervention, stating he was troubled that recommendations appeared to have been pre-reviewed by government staff without opportunity for chair review of any modifications. Pocock noted he submitted his own proposed edits at 9:55pm, unaware the letter had already been dispatched.
Briskey defended the process, characterizing it as standard consultation with relevant offices and denying suggestions the committee’s work was predetermined by the government. She confirmed that both the prime minister’s office and the opposition leader’s office had been engaged prior to the letter’s submission. The letter was positioned as an interim communication outlining the committee’s direction ahead of a final report scheduled for 30 November.
Duniam similarly rejected characterizations of government interference, stating there had been extensive discussion and consultation across the committee without guidance or interference. Pocock, however, maintained that the letter failed to adequately address several significant concerns, including creative industry perspectives on copyright protections, potential datacentre levies, worker retraining needs, and border screening measures for genetic synthesis imports. He expressed growing concern that the committee’s work was serving political objectives rather than providing genuine parliamentary oversight.
The prime minister’s office declined to comment on the matter.
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