The government is being accused of vetting recommendations from an independent inquiry into artificial intelligence before they were released, as Australia grapples with copyright and security concerns.
A bipartisan inquiry into AI has presented early advice to the prime minister via an open letter on Tuesday ahead of official reporting in November.
It is urging the government to examine and change copyright settings to ensure Australian creators are paid for and maintain control over their work.
More investment in critical AI infrastructure to bolster the nation’s digital sovereignty is recommended, along with increased oversight of government systems to quell data-breach concerns.
A lengthy set of suggestions contained in the letter, taking up more than six pages, will be considered by the government.
While not all of the committee agreed with the overall approach, it had reached consensus about the letter, the committee chair and Labor MP Jo Briskey told reporters on Tuesday.
But Independent Senator David Pocock said before the letter was sent, the prime minister’s office had checked and marked a copy with notes.
The markups, seen by AAP, included comments from a senior adviser who made multiple suggestions and wrote “fine” on some content.
“I am concerned that markups on the documents show the recommendations were pre-vetted by an adviser in the prime minister’s office and there was no time for changes to be considered by the (committee) chair,” Senator Pocock told AAP.
“I am increasingly concerned that the work of this committee is being used to serve a political purpose rather than provide genuine parliamentary scrutiny and policy input.”
Ms Briskey and her co-chair, Liberal Senator Jonno Duniam, insisted the committee was continuing to work independently.
“I’ve been really enjoying the collaborative approach across government and opposition, as well as the cross bench,” Ms Briskey said.
“This is about getting above politics and making sure that we’re providing something really meaningful for the parliament to consider as we chart our course forward in AI.”
Senator Duniam warned the government had limited time to act on recommendations if Australia wanted to pursue AI sovereignty on its own terms, instead of being dictated to by big tech or foreign powers.
Public hearings will continue in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne this week. The committee is due to file a full report by November 30.
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