A delegation of Australian authors, musicians, and artists held a press conference at Parliament House on Wednesday, urging the Albanese government not to weaken copyright protections in exchange for a proposed $50 billion investment in AI data centres. The proposal, reportedly presented to cabinet, would grant AI companies special exemptions to mine creative content, with the companies in return funding a $350 million annual compensation fund for artists and committing to the data centre investment.
Creatives Speak Out
Paul Dempsey, lead singer of Something for Kate, expressed bewilderment at the idea of watering down copyright for multinational tech giants. "The idea that copyright law should be watered down or chiselled away at to provide a freebie or a handout to gigantic multinational, multi-billion dollar companies to train their AI models makes absolutely no sense to me," he said.
Author Anna Funder described herself as a "victim of crime," noting that her books had been "hoovered up" by big tech without compensation. "My books that I’ve lived off for 30 years, have all been hoovered up in many editions, in many countries, in many languages by big tech, broken down for parts and used for them to make money," she said.
Political Reactions
Independent Senator David Pocock called the proposal the "ultimate dirty deal" and demanded the government categorically rule out any weakening of copyright. He claimed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was preparing to announce a plan around July 15, which might involve expedited approvals for data centres. Albanese confirmed he would deliver a major speech on AI in July and met with representatives of Anthropic last week.
Guardian Australia understands there are internal government splits on AI management, with senior ministers debating copyright exemptions versus licensing models. Former industry minister Ed Husic, who advocated for AI guardrails, was removed from cabinet in 2025, while his successor Tim Ayres favours a lighter touch.
Government Stance
The government rejected Pocock's claims as inaccurate, insisting its position on a text and data mining exemption had not changed. A spokesperson for Attorney General Michelle Rowland stated, "The government has repeatedly said that there are no plans to weaken copyright protections when it comes to AI. We are committed to ensuring that Australia has a fit-for-purpose copyright framework that protects and supports Australia’s creative and media industries while unlocking AI innovation."
Pocock remained adamant, telling parliament, "The government has criticised me a lot, but has not denied it, because it is true. The government needs to get up in this place and categorically rule out any carve-out, any exemption, any watering down of copyright exemptions now and into the future."
Artists Ready to Negotiate
Musician Holly Rankin, known as Jack River, said artists were prepared to make deals. "To the government we say, ‘don’t back down, do not sign our rights away’, and to big tech we say ‘ask us, get permission, pay us, we are here ready to do deals with you’," she said.
Guardian Australia is among the media companies supporting the campaign to safeguard copyright laws. The government encourages tech giants and creatives to negotiate deals that "support innovation while ensuring creators are compensated."
