The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has today released its report on public sector artificial intelligence (AI) use.

Media release issue date: Tuesday, 4 March 2025

 The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has released its report on public sector artificial intelligence (AI) use. The Committee examined the current policy settings for AI use across the Commonwealth Government to determine if they were fit for purpose. Committee Chair Linda Burney stated that ”these policy and governance frameworks must be equipped to adequately assess the great promise that AI brings but also understand the inherent and significant risks that accompany its use”. The Committee’s recommendations include: that the Australian Public Service Commission introduce detailed questions on the use and understanding of AI systems into its annual APS census that a whole of Government working group be established within 12 months to consider what mandatory rules, governance frameworks and legislation will be needed for AI systems across the Commonwealth that a statutory Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies be established to give the Parliament fully effective oversight of how the Government and the public service is managing the impacts of AI. “If effective and coordinated governance frameworks for AI systems are not implemented now, a very real concern of the Committee is that this technology will outpace the Government’s ability to do so in the very near future,” Ms Burney said. The report can be downloaded from the inquiry website. Media inquiries Hon Linda Burney MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit Electorate office: (02) 9587 1555 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit will hear from Government entities and private sector organisations on Wednesday 4 December as part of its inquiries into Government contract management frameworks and the use of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities.

Media release issue date: Monday, 2 December 2024

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hear from Government entities and private sector organisations on Wednesday 4 December for its inquiries into Government contract management frameworks and the use of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities. JCPAA Chair, the Hon Linda Burney MP, said that ‘the Committee looks forward to continuing to explore best practices in contract management, including discussions with the Department of Finance which administers the Australian Government Contract Management Guide.’ Ms Burney further commented in relation to the public sector AI inquiry that ‘further discussions with Government entities that have specific and relevant oversight functions, in addition to non-government stakeholders, will provide valuable additional insights to the Committee on how this rapidly developing technology should be managed.’ The hearing program is as follows: Wednesday 4 December 2024 Committee Room 2R1 Parliament House Inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities 10.30am         ACTA (Australian Council of TESOL [Teaching English to speakers of other languages] Associations)   11.00am         Department of Finance   Inquiry into the use and governance of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities 12.30pm         National Archives of Australia 1:10pm           Australian Human Rights Commission 2:00pm           Community and Public Sector Union 2:30pm           Workday Further details of the inquiries – including the submissions received and public hearings – are available on the inquiry websites (contract management; artificial intelligence). Media inquiries Hon Linda Burney MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit Electorate office: (02) 9587 1555 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hear from a range of entities this coming Friday 15 November as part of its inquiry into the use and governance of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities.

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 13 November 2024

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hear from a range of entities this coming Friday 15 November as part of its inquiry into the use and governance of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities. The Chair of the JCPAA, the Hon Linda Burney MP, said that ‘it is critical that overarching frameworks are in place to support public sector entities while they consider how they may best use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.’ Ms Burney further stated that ‘our inquiry has so far received submissions from a range of entities describing their current and planned use of these technologies. The Committee looks forward to speaking with key entities and policy owners to determine how whole-of-government frameworks are operating and whether improvements need to be made.’ The hearing program is as follows: Friday 15 November 2024 Committee Room 1R3 Parliament House 9.00am - Policy roundtable Department of Finance Attorney-General’s Department Department of Home Affairs Australian Signals Directorate Australian National Audit Office              11.00am - AI in Government Taskforce roundtable Department of Industry, Science and Resources Digital Transformation Agency Australian National Audit Office 12.00pm - Commonwealth Ombudsman 12.45pm - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation 1.30pm - Close Further details of the inquiry – including the submissions received and public hearings – are available on the inquiry website. Media inquiries Hon Linda Burney MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit Electorate office: (02) 9587 1555 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the use and governance of artificial intelligence (AI) systems by public sector entities.

Media release issue date: Thursday, 12 September 2024

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the use and governance of artificial intelligence (AI) systems by public sector entities. The Chair of the JCPAA, the Hon Linda Burney MP, said that ‘evidence to the Committee’s 2022-23 Commonwealth Financial Statements inquiry indicated an increased adoption of AI by public sector entities but also a lack of adequate governance frameworks to regulate and monitor this use. The Committee has decided that oversight is needed of the current and potential future impacts of this fast-developing technology in delivering outcomes for the Australian public.’ The inquiry will have particular regard to the following: the purposes for which AI is currently being used by the public sector entity and whether there are planned or likely future uses the existing legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks that are relevant to the use of AI and whether they are fit for purpose whether the internal governance structures that currently exist for AI will ensure its ethical and responsible use by public sector entities the internal framework/policies or additional controls used for assessing the risks associated with the use and possible misuse of AI, including the areas of security, privacy, ethics, bias, discrimination, transparency and accountability whether there is an adequate line of sight to the output of AI, and the decisions made through its use whether the public sector has the internal capability to effectively adopt and utilise AI into the future whether there are sovereign capability issues to consider given that most AI tools currently used in Australia are sourced from overseas any other related matters. Submissions to the inquiry addressing the above terms of reference are invited by Friday 25 October 2024. Details of this inquiry – including the submissions received and public hearings – will be available on the inquiry website. The Committee will make use of existing submissions to the Inquiry into Commonwealth Financial Statements 2022-23 that were requested from Commonwealth agencies on their use of AI. Media inquiries Hon Linda Burney MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit on (02) 9587 1555. For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.