AI Law TrackerAI Law Tracker
🔴Illinois HB 3773IN EFFECTUp to ~$70K/violation|🔴Texas TRAIGA (HB 149)IN EFFECTAG-enforced|🔴Utah AI Policy ActIN EFFECT$2,500/violation|⚠️Colorado AI Act (SB 205)Jan 1, 2027AG-enforced|⚠️California SB 942Aug 2, 2026$5K/day|⚠️EU AI Act Art. 50Aug 2, 2026€35M or 7% revenue|⚠️New York RAISE ActJan 1, 2027AG civil penalties|
Global AI lawFlag of AustraliaVoluntary framework

AI Laws in Australia

Australia has chosen not to enact a standalone AI Act. As of 2026, AI-specific obligations are voluntary — businesses are encouraged to follow the Voluntary AI Safety Standard's ten guardrails (governance, transparency, human oversight, testing, record-keeping). A 2024 proposal for mandatory guardrails on high-risk AI remains unlegislated; the December 2025 National AI Plan reaffirmed reliance on existing laws and sector regulators. The main statutory exposure for AI is the Privacy Act 1988, where serious breaches now risk penalties up to A$50 million.

By · Editorial Team
Published Reviewed
Map showing the location of Australia in the world
Australia on the world map

Applicable laws

📜 Australia's AI Ethics Principles (2019, voluntary)
📜 Voluntary AI Safety Standard (Sept 2024)
📜 Proposed mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI (consultation)
📜 Privacy Act 1988 (as amended 2024)

Penalty: No AI-specific penalty; Privacy Act 1988 up to A$50M, 3× benefit, or 30% of adjusted turnover for serious breaches

Live · legislation.gov.au

AI-specific legislation (2)

Updated September 5, 2026

Bills and instruments in Australia whose own subject is artificial intelligence or automated decision-making, pulled automatically from the official legislature feed. See our scope definition.

Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Act 2024 (No. 78, 2024)Act
In force·→
Online Safety (Designated Internet Services—Class 1A and Class 1B Material) Industry Standard 2024Legislative Instrument
In force·→
● Live

Recent AI law developments in Australia

Updated September 15, 2026

Recent news coverage of AI regulation and policy in Australia. Headlines are aggregated automatically; follow each link for the full story.

Watch Australia’s AI Regulation DebateWorld Economic Forum · CC BY 3.0 · via wikimedia
Watch Australia’s AI Regulation Debate

Coverage from Bloomberg.com on AI legislation and regulation relevant to Australia.

Bloomberg.com·→
Australia's AI Regulation DebateWorld Economic Forum · CC BY 3.0 · via wikimedia
Australia's AI Regulation Debate

Coverage from marketscreener.com on AI legislation and regulation relevant to Australia.

marketscreener.com·→
As Australia faces an AI-generated future, a human rights act is needed more than everUS Mission Geneva · CC BY-ND 2.0 · via flickr
As Australia faces an AI-generated future, a human rights act is needed more than ever

Coverage from The Guardian on AI legislation and regulation relevant to Australia.

The Guardian·→
What Australia's AI Regulation Means For Your Risk RegisterBob Bekian · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via flickr
What Australia's AI Regulation Means For Your Risk Register

Coverage from iTWire on AI legislation and regulation relevant to Australia.

iTWire·→
Projects targeting cross-border disputes and AI-regulation awarded over $2M in ARC Future FellowshipsWorld Economic Forum · CC BY 3.0 · via wikimedia
Projects targeting cross-border disputes and AI-regulation awarded over $2M in ARC Future Fellowships

Coverage from law.unimelb.edu.au on AI legislation and regulation relevant to Australia.

law.unimelb.edu.au·→

High-risk industries to watch in Australia

🏥 Healthcare
🏦 Finance
👔 HR & Hiring
🛡️ Insurance
⚖️ Legal
🎓 Education

US-based? Check your state laws too

If you're a US company serving Australia customers, you need to comply with both your state's AI laws and Australia regulation.

US AI laws hub →All 51 US jurisdictions →EU AI Act →Check my state →
Editorial standards

Anchored to the primary government source (statute, bill text, or agency rule) and verified directly against it · Last verified Jun 16, 2026. See our methodology.

Primary sources · Australia
  • ↗industry.gov.auhttps://www.industry.gov.au/publications/voluntary-ai-safety-standard
  • ↗homeaffairs.gov.auhttps://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/reports-and-publications/submissions-and-discu…
  • ↗oaic.gov.auhttps://www.oaic.gov.au/