Responsible AI Governance in Australia – Are you ready for 2026?

The Australian Government has recently released Guidance for AI Adoption – 6 Essential Practices for Responsible AI Governance (the Guidance).

The Guidance is based on national and international ethics principles and is the first update to Australia’s voluntary guardrails - Australia’s Voluntary AI Safety Standard (2024).

The Guidance:

  • condenses 10 guardrails into 6 essential practices

  • provides insights for both developers as well as deployers

  • has 2 guides:

    • Foundations - containing the essential practices that every organisation needs for its AI governance

    • Implementation practices - containing more comprehensive guidance for governance professionals and technical experts to implement the 6 essential practices in accordance with international standards and Australia’s current voluntary guardrails

The Guidance emphasise that Responsible AI governance:

  • is necessary at 2 levels:

    • whole of organisation practices – e.g organisational AI policies and procedures

    • specific AI systems

  • does not replace other essential governance frameworks such as data, privacy, and cybersecurity. These frameworks should also be updated in relation to the use of AI systems.

The 6 Essential Practices are:

 1. Decide who is accountable

  • Assign a senior leader

  • Create an AI policy

2.  Understand impacts and plan accordingly

  • Carry out a stakeholder impact assessment

  • Create contestability channels

3.  Measure and manage AI risks

  • Create a risk screening process using AI screening tools

  • Set up risk management processes, conduct risk assessments and create mitigation plans

4.  Share essential information

  • Create and maintain an organisational AI register

  • Disclose organisational use of AI

5.  Test and monitor

  • Require proof an AI supplier’s system has been properly tested

  • Test before deployment of any AI system

  • Extend data governance and cybersecurity practices to your AI systems

6. Maintain human control

  • Ensure meaningful human oversight

  • Build in human override points

 

Do you need professional assistance?

Current legal requirements relating to AI regulation in Australia are complex. The current legal requirements and voluntary guardrails, and mandatory AI guardrails reforms if implemented, require effective consideration, training, monitoring and reporting.

Professional assistance to address these questions and to provide expert training is available and should be sought, as appropriate.


Dr Nigel Wilson, Director, Australis Chambers

Dr Nigel Wilson is an Australian lawyer and privacy, cybersecurity, AI and technology regulatory specialist with over thirty years’ experience.

He is the author of the international, award-winning Teaching Professionals – Revised AI Edition! and is also a professional workplace trainer and educator for corporations, legal practices, governments, critical infrastructures and not-for-profits.

He was a finalist in the Australian AI Awards 2024 in 3 categories:

  • AI Leader of the Year – SME

  • AI Consultant of the Year – SME

  • AI Academic / Researcher of the Year

 

Dr Nigel Wilson, Australis Chambers

 

LLB (Hons), BEc, BCL Oxford, Cybersecurity Harvard, PhD

 

wilson@australischambers.com         www.australischambers.com             0413 807 585

 

Liability limited by a scheme approved under the Professional Standards Legislation

 

Nigel Wilson