Canberra Rules Out Workplace AI Union Veto as Minister Amanda Rishworth Establishes AI Employment and Workplaces Forum
The Australian Financial Review
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Details
- Date Published
- 27 Apr 2026
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 27 Apr 2026, 12:00 pm
Description
The workplace minister has brought employee groups and employers together to form the rules, while saying the technology has not yet affected entry-level roles.
Summary
Social Services and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has initiated the Australian government's first formal regulatory steps for AI in the workplace by establishing the AI Employment and Workplaces Forum. The policy framework focuses on balancing employer flexibility with worker protections, explicitly ruling out union veto rights over technological implementation while addressing the socio-economic impacts of automation. Furthermore, the government is linking the construction of massive AI data centers to local skills development and mandatory apprenticeship targets. This development signals Australia's focus on economic and labor market governance rather than the technical mitigation of catastrophic or existential risks associated with frontier AI.
Body
Work & CareersWorkplacePrint articleDavid Marin-GuzmanWorkplace correspondentApr 27, 2026 – 9.00pmThe Albanese government has made its first formal steps towards regulating artificial intelligence in the workplace, but has ruled out union veto rights and stated that new data suggests the technology still has had only a limited effect on jobs.Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth will also bring in AI infrastructure developers into her employment portfolio by demanding they invest in local skills and training when constructing billion-dollar data centres and set minimum apprenticeship targets for the projects.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreWorkplaceIndustrial relationsAIAutomationRegulationFetching latest articles