Australia said on November 9, 2026 that it will enshrine mandatory AI safety and security protections in legislation for frontier AI companies.
What the government announced
Australia said it will enshrine mandatory AI safety and security protections in Australian AI Standards legislation as part of its AI in Australia's Interests agenda. The protections would apply to all frontier AI companies that wish to operate in Australia.
What AI companies must do
The government said a new targeted regulator for AI safety would enforce the protections and work with the Australian AI Safety Institute. Companies would be required to maintain security controls across all stages of development and deployment, identify and manage serious risks, allow independent evaluation, provide mandatory incident notification, maintain and publish safety and security frameworks, and respond to updated standards and rules.
Context and next steps
The proposed measures are aligned with interim recommendations from the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. The government said they would help provide earlier warning of emerging risks from rogue AI agents and enable faster, coordinated action when serious AI incidents occur. Further details of the legislation will become available as the government completes detailed work and consultation.
Key facts and where they come from
- Australia plans to legislate mandatory AI safety and security protections.
strong mandatory safety and security protections will be legislated through the AI Standards
- A new targeted regulator for AI safety is proposed.
The Government will propose these protections be enforced by a new targeted regulator for AI safety
- Companies must maintain security controls across development and deployment.
Maintain security controls across all stages of development and deployment
