Disquiet grows in Albanese’s back yard as Grayndler artists unite against ‘insane’ AI proposal
Inner west Sydney seat has long been safely held by the PM – but potential changes to copyright laws are angering its large creative community Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast The prime minister is facing growing discontent within his own electorate as creatives push back against the federal government’s proposal to allow AI companies to scrape everything Australians…
The inner west Sydney electorate of Grayndler, long a safe Labor seat, is experiencing growing discontent as creatives unite against a proposed AI legislation. The federal government's plan aims to allow AI companies to scrape all creative content created online, including those of the seat's 3,000 cultural and creative businesses, 10% of whose workers are employed in the sector.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised strong copyright protection, but creatives are incensed that AI firms are pushing for weakened copyright laws to train their models using Australian material without proper compensation. Some AI companies claim existing copyright law makes licensing agreements too difficult, while others propose an "opt-out" model, which could be seen as the government acquiring property rights.
The government's draft laws are expected by the end of the year, with parliamentary consideration due in 2027. Local creatives, including screenprinter Pete Strong, artist Lu Campbell-Smith, and curator H Morgan-Harris, decry the proposal, arguing that it would exploit their work and undermine the Australian creative ecosystem. Polls show Albanese's disapproval rating at 56%, the highest since he took office, as his independent challenger Hannah Ferguson bets on his waning popularity.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
