Australian Government AI Resources

A guide for organisations developing AI governance programs.

Many organisations are now formalising their AI governance programs as adoption of AI tools accelerates. A mature AI governance program typically involves identifying applicable AI ethics principles, issuing policies on the use of AI, and requiring AI risk assessments before deployment.

Developing AI governance resources from scratch can be challenging. Fortunately, Australian Commonwealth and state and territory government agencies have produced a substantial body of practical material — primarily directed at government agencies, but valuable reference material for any organisation looking to build a more structured approach to AI governance.

This post summarises key Australian government AI resources and provides links to the most useful publications. It is not exhaustive but aims to give a practical starting point.

An additional directory of government AI resources is maintained by Australian Government AI Resources (Federal, State & Territory) – SafeAI-Aus

Quick Reference: Resources Covered In This Post

Jurisdiction	Key Resources
Commonwealth	National AI Plan · APS AI Plan · National AI Assurance Framework · DTA Policy, Transparency Standard, Impact Assessment Tool, Technical Standard, Procurement Clauses · OAIC AI Guidance
New South Wales	AI Ethics Policy · AI Assurance Framework (AIAF) · Generative AI Guidance · AI Agents Guide
Queensland	AI Governance Policy · FAIRA Risk Framework · Foundational AI Assessment Guideline · QAO AI Ethics Report & Checklist
South Australia	Office for AI · AI Ethics Policy · Guideline 13.1 (LLM use)
Tasmania	Guidance for AI use in Government (v1.4)
Victoria	AI Mission Statement · GenAI Administrative Guideline · OVIC GenAI Privacy Guidance · PROV Recordkeeping Policy
Western Australia	AI Policy & Assurance Framework · WA Health AI Policy · AI Advisory Board · AI Centre of Excellence

Commonwealth Government

National AI Plan

Released in December 2025, the National AI Plan sets out how the Australian Government will support Australia to build an AI-enabled economy that is more competitive, productive and resilient. It is framed around three objectives:

• Capturing the opportunity: accelerating AI adoption across key sectors.
• Spreading the benefits: ensuring gains from AI are widely shared.
• Keeping Australians safe: maintaining appropriate governance and safeguards.

APS AI Plan 2025

The APS AI Plan 2025 is a detailed operational roadmap for AI adoption across the Australian Public Service, aimed at improving service delivery, policy outcomes, efficiency, and productivity. Published in November 2025, it is built on three pillars:

• Trust: transparency, ethics and governance.
• People: capability building and workforce engagement.
• Tools: access to AI infrastructure and support.

National Framework for the Assurance of AI in Government

Announced jointly by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments in June 2024, the National framework for assurance of AI in government establishes a nationally consistent approach to safe and responsible AI assurance. It is grounded in Australia’s AI Ethics Principles and is designed to help governments develop, procure and deploy AI responsibly.

The Framework identifies five mechanisms for effective application of the ethics principles:

• Governance: organisational structure, policies, roles, responsibilities and risk management frameworks to ensure safe and responsible AI use.
• Data governance: policies, processes and controls to ensure datasets used to train or operate AI models are authenticated, reliable, accurate and representative.
• Risk-based approach: AI use assessed on a case-by-case basis, with proportionate scrutiny for high-risk settings and minimal burden in lower-risk ones.
• Standards: alignment with relevant AI standards where practical, including ISO 42001.
• Procurement: careful consideration of AI ethics principles, accountabilities, data transparency, access to relevant information assets, and performance testing requirements in procurement documentation and contracts.

Digital Transformation Agency (DTA)

The DTA has a central role in AI policy at Commonwealth level, coordinating whole-of-government initiatives on the safe, responsible use of AI by the Australian Public Service. Over the past two years it has moved from high-level principles to providing detailed guidelines and tools for how Commonwealth agencies should adopt AI systems.

Policy for the Responsible Use of AI in Government

The Policy for the Responsible Use of AI in Government, effective from 2024 and updated in 2025, sets mandatory baseline expectations for all non-corporate Commonwealth entities. It requires a risk-based, transparent and accountable approach to AI adoption, structured around three pillars: enable and prepare, engage responsibly, and evolve and integrate.

Non-compliance carries real consequences. Agencies that fail to meet their obligations may face reputational damage and legal exposure under existing legislation, including the Privacy Act and protective security laws.

Under the policy, agencies must publish a publicly available statement outlining their approach to AI adoption. The Standard for AI Transparency Statements establishes a consistent format for these disclosures, with the aim of making it easier for the public to understand and compare how government agencies are adopting AI. Agencies are required to link to their transparency statement from their public-facing website, in a prominent location comparable to a privacy policy.

Resources Policy for the Responsible Use of AI in Government Standard for AI Transparency Statements AI Ethics Principles

AI Impact Assessment Tool

The DTA’s artificial intelligence (AI) impact assessment tool is designed to help agencies identify, assess and manage potential risks from AI use cases before deployment. Accompanying guidance helps users understand how to interpret and complete the assessment.

Resources AI Impact Assessment Tool Guidance to the AI Impact Assessment Tool

AI Technical Standard

The Australian Government Technical AI Standard provides practical guidance for technical specialists and business owners embedding AI in government systems. It covers best practice for the end-to-end design, development, deployment and operation of AI systems, reinforcing the AI Ethics Principles.

The Standard has recently been updated with an addendum specifically addressing Agentic AI, a timely addition given the rapid growth in autonomous AI agent deployments.

Resources Australian Government AI Technical Standard Agentic AI Addendum

AI Procurement Guidance and Model Contract Clauses

Published in March 2025, the DTA’s Guide to AI Procurement help government purchasers manage vendor relationships when procuring AI-based systems and services. The clauses align with Australia’s technology-related regulations across privacy, cybersecurity and intellectual property. Version 2.0 expands the original scope to address a broader range of AI use cases.

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)

The OAIC, as Australia’s privacy regulator, has published AI guidance through the lens of privacy obligations. Two key publications are particularly relevant for any organisation using AI systems that handle personal information:

• Guidance on privacy and developing and training generative AI models | OAIC
• Guidance on privacy and the use of commercially available AI products

We have covered both publications in a previous blog post here.

New South Wales

AI Ethics Policy

The NSW Artificial Intelligence Ethics Policy sets out five overarching principles to ensure best-practice use of AI across government: trust, transparency, customer benefit, fairness, privacy and accountability. NSW has also established a dedicated NSW Office for AI to lead the safe, lawful and responsible use of AI across government — setting standards, providing expert advice and coordinating AI initiatives.

AI Assurance Framework (AIAF)

The NSW AI Assurance Framework (published 2022) helps project teams analyse and document AI-specific risks, implement risk mitigation strategies, and establish clear governance and accountability measures.

Mandatory requirement: All NSW Government use of AI, including any AI system or component across its full lifecycle, must apply the AIAF, in line with the NSW mandate under Circular DCS-2024-04.

Resources NSW AI Ethics Policy NSW AI Assurance Framework Generative AI: Basic Guidance Guide to Using AI Agents in NSW Government Chatbot Prompt Essentials Understanding Responsibilities in AI Practices

Queensland

The Queensland Government AI Governance Policy requires agencies to use a consistent, evidence-based process incorporating an ethical framework to evaluate transparency, accountability and risk across the AI lifecycle. Agencies must establish AI governance arrangements based on ISO 38507.

Foundational AI Risk Assessment (FAIRA) Framework

The FAIRA framework is a transparency, accountability and risk identification tool for Queensland Government agencies evaluating AI solutions. It consists of two components:

• Components analysis: ensures the AI solution is fully described within its intended context of use.
• Values assessment: ensures risks are identified and managed through the agency’s ICT risk register, aligned to the National Framework for the Assurance of AI in Government.

Foundational AI Assessment Guideline

The Foundational AI Assessment Guideline sets out the considerations for identifying and documenting risks specific to AI solutions. It is designed to complement, not replace, existing risk management frameworks.

Queensland Audit Office

The Queensland Audit Office has published a report on the ethical risks of AI (Managing the Ethical Risks of Artificial Intelligence, Report 2: 2025–26) and an accompanying AI Governance Checklist. The Audit Office work is particularly relevant for finance teams, as it specifically addresses AI’s growing use in financial accounting and reporting tasks such as invoice processing, reconciliations and data entry.

Resources Queensland AI Governance Policy FAIRA Framework Foundational AI Assessment Guideline Use of Generative AI in Queensland Government QAO Report: Managing the Ethical Risks of AI Queensland OIC — AI in External Reviews and Privacy Complaints

South Australia

South Australia has a dedicated Office for Artificial Intelligence, one of the first state-level AI offices in Australia, and has built a structured suite of governance resources:

• AI Ethics Policy: sets out principles and a common ethical framework for the design, development, deployment and operation of AI-enabled systems and services across government.
• Guideline 13.1 (LLM Use): Guideline 13.1 — Use of Generative AI & Large Language Models outlines the limitations and risks associated with large language model AI within the SA Government and provides practical guidance for agencies on the safe use of this technology, aligned to the national AI assurance approach.

Resources SA Office for Artificial Intelligence – Policies, Standards and Guidelines SA AI Knowledge Centre Guideline 13.1 – Use of Generative AI & LLMs (DPC)

Tasmania

The Guidance for the Use of AI in Tasmanian Government (v1.4, September 2024) sets out seven recommendations covering risk-based assessment, procurement, capability building and transparency. It is aligned with the National AI Assurance Framework.

Victoria

Victoria’s AI policy is centred on responsible, ethical and inclusive adoption of AI to drive innovation, economic growth and workforce development. It is guided by an AI Mission Statement and a suite of Generative AI guidelines.

AI Mission Statement

The Victorian Government’s AI Mission Statement is structured around six strategic pillars:

• Investment Attraction and Adoption: encouraging AI investment and accelerating adoption across industries.
• Data Centres and Digital Infrastructure: supporting sustainable, energy-efficient data centres to meet AI computing demands.
• Local Innovation, Products and Services: promoting development of AI-enabled products and fostering local AI ecosystems.
• Talent and Workforce: upskilling workers through programs including the $8.1 million Digital Jobs – AI Career Conversion initiative.
• Ethical AI Use: ensuring AI deployment aligns with ethical standards, transparency, accountability and human rights.
• Public Sector Adoption :embedding AI in government operations to improve service delivery, efficiency and decision-making.

Generative AI Guidelines

The Administrative Guideline for Safe and Responsible Use of Generative AI in the Victorian Public Sector sets out expectations for Victorian public sector staff using generative AI tools.

Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC)

OVIC has published two pieces of practical guidance on privacy and AI for the Victorian public sector:

• Use of Personal Information with Publicly Available GenAI Tools: privacy expectations when staff use public generative AI tools.
• Use of Enterprise GenAI Tools (VPS Minimum Expectations): baseline controls for enterprise generative AI deployments.

Public Record Office Victoria has also issued an AI Technologies and Recordkeeping Policy: mandatory recordkeeping directives for AI-generated records.

Resources Administrative Guideline – Safe & Responsible Use of GenAI in VPS Guidance – Safe & Responsible Use of GenAI in VPS OVIC – Use of Personal Information with Publicly Available GenAI Tools OVIC – Use of Enterprise GenAI Tools (VPS Minimum Expectations) Public Record Office Victoria – AI Technologies & Recordkeeping Policy

Western Australia

WA Government AI Policy

The Western Australian Government AI Policy establishes guidelines for the responsible, safe and ethical use of AI across the WA public sector. Key features include:

• Mandatory AI Accountable Officer — each agency must nominate an executive responsible for overseeing AI adoption, ensuring policy alignment, and approving risk assessments.
• Active AI use-case register — agencies must maintain registers to track AI tools in use and ensure data exposure, bias and security risks are managed.
• WA AI Advisory Board — an independent board providing technical and ethical advice and reviewing major AI projects.
• AI Centre of Excellence and $10 million AI Investment Fund — established to rapidly advance public sector AI capabilities.

WA also has a separate, mandatory WA Health System AI Policy, which sets strict minimum requirements for the safe and beneficial deployment of AI technologies across WA health entities, including clinical use cases and ambient scribes.

WA AI Assurance Framework

The WA Government AI Assurance Framework supports entities in evaluating the implications, risks and controls for AI projects. It aligns with the WA AI Policy and the National Framework for the Assurance of AI in Government.

Entities must complete a self-assessment for any system or project driven by AI or automated decision-making, regardless of whether the AI system is procured, built or otherwise sourced. Where a project meets any of the following criteria, the completed self-assessment must be submitted to the WA AI Advisory Board:

• Residual risk (after mitigations) is mid-range or higher.
• Funding has been provided through the Digital Capability Fund.
• Total project cost exceeds $5 million.

Resources WA Government AI Policy and Assurance Framework WA Government AI Assurance Framework (self-assessment form) WA AI Advisory Board WA Health System AI Policy

---

Note On Coverage

This post does not cover every jurisdiction. The ACT and Northern Territory have not yet published standalone AI governance frameworks but have adopted the National Framework for the Assurance of AI in Government. This post will be updated as new resources are published.