Labor’s AI Regulation Plans Must Not Mirror Industrial Relations Approach
The Australian Financial Review
ENRICHED
Details
- Date Published
- 28 Apr 2026
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 28 Apr 2026, 08:00 am
Description
The best approach to managing the adjustment to the age of artificial intelligence would be for Labor to get the fundamentals of economic management right.
Summary
This editorial argues against a restrictive or overly bureaucratic regulatory framework for AI in the Australian workforce, warning against applying traditional industrial relations models to emerging technology. While acknowledging initial data from Jobs and Skills Australia suggesting AI is currently augmenting rather than replacing white-collar roles, the piece emphasizes the need for flexible economic management to navigate long-term disruption. The focus remains on productivity and economic adjustment rather than direct mitigation of catastrophic technical risks or frontier AI safety protocols. It highlights a critical tension in Australian policy between labor protection and the rapid adoption of frontier capabilities.
Body
Work & CareersWorkplaceThe AFR ViewPrint articleApr 28, 2026 – 5.54pmEmployment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has the unenviable task of getting people to keep calm and carry on before the artificial intelligence revolution reshapes the workplace.Rishworth came to The Australian Financial Review Workforce Summit on Tuesday armed with data collated by Jobs and Skills Australia that showed white-collar AI job losses have been minimal. Based on effects on workplaces so far, the research found that the introduction of AI in the medium term was “far more likely to augment a worker’s duty than fully automate them”.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 MoreThe AFR ViewOpinionAIAustralian economyAmanda RishworthSally McManusDanielle WoodProductivityTrade unionsRegulationIndustrial relationsFetching latest articles