AI Policy & Strategy Guide¶

Reference

Quick Reference: What Do You Need?¶

Visual Navigation Guide¶

Australian Government AI Ecosystem Overview¶

graph TB
    subgraph "National Strategy"
        NAP[National AI Plan<br/>Dec 2025]
        APSP[APS AI Plan 2025<br/>Dec 2025]
    end

    subgraph "Policy Framework"
        POL[Policy for Responsible<br/>Use of AI v2.0<br/>Dec 2024]
        NAF[National Framework<br/>for AI Assurance<br/>Jun 2024]
        GUIDE[Guidance for AI Adoption<br/>Oct 2025]
    end

    subgraph "Safety & Risk"
        AISI[AI Safety Institute<br/>Nov 2025]
        INTL[International Network<br/>of AI Safety Institutes]
    end

    subgraph "Tools & Platforms"
        GOVAI[GovSafeAI Platform<br/>Jan 2025]
        CHAT[GovSafeAI Chat]
        IAT[AI Impact<br/>Assessment Tool]
        PROC[AI Procurement<br/>Guidance & Templates]
    end

    subgraph "Training & Capability"
        FUND[AI in Government<br/>Fundamentals Course]
        KNOW[GovSafeAI Knowledge Hub]
        SCHOLAR[1M Free AI<br/>Scholarships]
    end

    subgraph "Governance & Oversight"
        ETHICS[AI Ethics Principles<br/>2019]
        TRANS[AI Transparency<br/>Statements]
        PRIV[OAIC Privacy<br/>Guidance Oct 2024]
    end

    NAP --> POL
    NAP --> AISI
    APSP --> GOVAI
    APSP --> FUND
    POL --> IAT
    POL --> TRANS
    NAF --> POL
    GUIDE --> PROC
    AISI --> INTL
    GOVAI --> CHAT
    GOVAI --> KNOW
    ETHICS --> POL
    ETHICS --> NAF
    PRIV --> POL

    style NAP fill:#e1f5ff
    style APSP fill:#e1f5ff
    style AISI fill:#ffe1e1
    style GOVAI fill:#e1ffe1

Policy Hierarchy and Relationships¶

graph TD
    subgraph "Strategic Level"
        A[National AI Plan<br/>Dec 2025<br/>Whole-of-economy]
        B[APS AI Plan 2025<br/>Dec 2025<br/>Public Service]
    end

    subgraph "Policy Level"
        C[Policy for Responsible Use of AI<br/>Dec 2024 - Mandatory for APS]
        D[National Framework for AI Assurance<br/>Jun 2024 - Fed/State/Territory]
        E[Guidance for AI Adoption<br/>Oct 2025 - All Organizations]
    end

    subgraph "Implementation Level"
        F[AI Impact Assessment Tool]
        G[AI Procurement Guidance]
        H[AI Contract Templates]
        I[AI Transparency Statements]
    end

    subgraph "Foundational Principles"
        J[AI Ethics Principles<br/>8 Principles - 2019]
        K[Implementing AI Ethics<br/>in Government]
    end

    A --> C
    A --> E
    B --> C
    C --> F
    C --> G
    C --> I
    D --> C
    E --> G
    E --> H
    J --> C
    J --> D
    J --> K
    K --> F

    style A fill:#4a90e2,color:#fff
    style B fill:#4a90e2,color:#fff
    style C fill:#f39c12,color:#fff
    style D fill:#f39c12,color:#fff
    style J fill:#27ae60,color:#fff

Agency Ecosystem and Responsibilities¶

graph LR
    subgraph "Lead Agencies"
        DISR[DISR<br/>Industry, Science<br/>& Resources]
        FIN[Finance]
        DTA[Digital Transformation<br/>Agency]
    end

    subgraph "Oversight & Assurance"
        OAIC[OAIC<br/>Privacy]
        ASD[ASD/ACSC<br/>Security]
        AHRC[AHRC<br/>Human Rights]
        APSC[APSC<br/>Public Service]
    end

    subgraph "Research & Development"
        CSIRO[CSIRO/Data61]
        NAIC[National AI Centre]
        GRAD[Gradient Institute]
        AISI2[AI Safety Institute]
    end

    subgraph "Delivery"
        GOVAI2[GovSafeAI Platform]
        ACADEMY[APS Academy]
        ADOPT[AI Adopt Centres]
    end

    DISR -->|National AI Plan| AISI2
    DISR -->|Guidance| ADOPT
    FIN -->|APS AI Plan| GOVAI2
    FIN -->|Coordinates| DTA
    DTA -->|Policy| GOVAI2
    DTA -->|Tools| GOVAI2
    APSC -->|Training| ACADEMY
    CSIRO -->|Research| NAIC
    CSIRO -->|Research| AISI2
    GRAD -->|Advice| DISR
    OAIC -->|Privacy Guidance| DTA
    ASD -->|Security Guidance| DTA
    AHRC -->|Rights Framework| DISR
    GOVAI2 -->|Training| ACADEMY

    style DISR fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style FIN fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style DTA fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style AISI2 fill:#9b59b6,color:#fff

User Journey: Getting Started with AI in Government¶

graph TD
    START[New to AI in Government?]

    START --> READ1[Read: National AI Plan<br/>Understand national direction]
    READ1 --> READ2[Read: APS AI Plan 2025<br/>Understand APS transformation]

    READ2 --> ROLE{What's your role?}

    ROLE -->|APS Staff| APS1[Complete: AI in Government<br/>Fundamentals Course]
    ROLE -->|Policy Maker| POL1[Review: Policy for<br/>Responsible Use of AI]
    ROLE -->|Procurement| PROC1[Review: AI Procurement<br/>Guidance & Templates]
    ROLE -->|Business/SME| BUS1[Review: Guidance for<br/>AI Adoption]

    APS1 --> APS2[Access: GovSafeAI Platform<br/>& GovSafeAI Chat]
    APS2 --> APS3[Explore: GovSafeAI<br/>Knowledge Hub]

    POL1 --> POL2[Use: AI Impact<br/>Assessment Tool]
    POL2 --> POL3[Review: AI Ethics<br/>Principles]

    PROC1 --> PROC2[Use: AI Contract<br/>Templates]
    PROC2 --> PROC3[Review: AI Model<br/>Clauses]

    BUS1 --> BUS2[Access: AI Adopt<br/>Centres]
    BUS2 --> BUS3[Use: Responsible AI<br/>Self-Assessment Tool]

    APS3 --> IMPL[Ready to Implement AI]
    POL3 --> IMPL
    PROC3 --> IMPL
    BUS3 --> IMPL

    IMPL --> ONGOING[Ongoing: Transparency<br/>Statements & Monitoring]

    style START fill:#3498db,color:#fff
    style IMPL fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style ONGOING fill:#f39c12,color:#fff

Timeline of Major Releases (2023-2025)¶

gantt
    title Australian Government AI Policy & Tools Timeline
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD

    section Strategy
    AI in Government Taskforce       :2023-07-01, 2024-06-30
    National AI Plan                 :milestone, 2025-12-02, 0d
    APS AI Plan 2025                :milestone, 2025-12-02, 0d

    section Policy
    Interim Response                 :milestone, 2024-01-17, 0d
    National Framework for AI        :milestone, 2024-06-21, 0d
    Voluntary AI Safety Standard     :milestone, 2024-09-05, 0d
    Policy for Responsible Use v1.1  :milestone, 2024-09-01, 0d
    Guidance for AI Adoption         :milestone, 2025-10-17, 0d
    Policy for Responsible Use v2.0  :milestone, 2024-12-15, 0d

    section Safety
    AI Expert Advisory Group         :2024-02-02, 2024-06-30
    AI Safety Institute Announced    :milestone, 2025-11-25, 0d
    AISI Operational                 :2026-01-01, 2026-03-31

    section Tools
    Copilot Trial                    :2024-01-01, 2024-06-30
    AI Impact Assessment Tool        :milestone, 2024-12-01, 0d
    GovSafeAI Platform Launch           :milestone, 2025-01-15, 0d
    AI Contract Templates v2.0       :milestone, 2025-03-01, 0d

    section Training
    AI in Gov Fundamentals          :2024-06-01, 2025-12-31
    1M AI Scholarships              :2024-03-01, 2025-12-31

Australian Government AI Resources¶

Core Policy Framework (2023-2025)¶

Foundational Frameworks and Legislation¶

Government AI Tools and Platforms (2024-2025)¶

Agency-Specific Resources and Guidance¶

Digital Transformation Agency (DTA)¶

Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR)¶

Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) / ACSC¶

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)¶

Australian Public Service Commission (APSC)¶

Department of Finance¶

Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)¶

Australian Taxation Office (ATO)¶

Services Australia¶

Treasury¶

AI Safety and Risk Management¶

Australian AI Safety Institute (AISI)¶

Research and Development Institutions¶

CSIRO / Data61 / National AI Centre (NAIC)¶

Gradient Institute¶

Programs and Initiatives¶

AI Adopt Program¶

AI in Government Taskforce¶

AI Expert Advisory Group¶

Parliamentary Inquiries and Reports¶

Training and Capability Building¶

Transparency and Reporting¶

Regulatory Approach and Infrastructure¶

AI Regulation Approach (Updated Dec 2025)¶

AI Infrastructure and Investment¶

International AI Frameworks¶

OECD¶

Other Jurisdictions¶

Technical Resources¶

Machine Learning Platforms¶

Open Source Tools¶

Fairness and Explainability¶

Data Quality¶

Learning Resources¶

Courses and Training¶

Books¶

Research Papers (Key)¶

Professional Communities¶

Industry Groups¶

Online Communities¶

Vendor Resources¶

Major Cloud Providers¶

Government-Focused¶

Standards and Certifications¶

AI Standards¶

Security Certifications¶

Data Certifications¶

Templates and Toolkits¶

Model Documentation¶

Assessment Tools¶

Keeping Current¶

News and Analysis¶

Research Tracking¶

Government-Specific Resources¶

Procurement¶

Case Studies and Examples¶

Quick Links by Topic¶

Getting Started with AI in Government¶

1. National AI Plan - Dec 2025 - Comprehensive national roadmap
2. AI Plan for the APS 2025 - Dec 2025 - APS transformation plan
3. GovSafeAI Platform - Secure APS AI platform with GovSafeAI Chat
4. AI in Government Fundamentals Course - Mandatory APS training
5. Policy for Responsible Use of AI in Government - Core policy framework
6. AI Ethics Principles - 8 foundational principles
7. This Toolkit - Getting Started

AI Policy and Governance¶

1. Guidance for AI Adoption - Oct 2025 - Updated 6 key practices (replaces Voluntary AI Safety Standard)
2. National Framework for AI Assurance - Federal/state/territory framework
3. AI Impact Assessment Tool - Assess AI use cases
4. Implementing AI Ethics Principles - Practical guidance
5. Existing Laws Approach - Dec 2025 - No standalone AI Act

Privacy and AI¶

1. OAIC: Privacy and Developing/Training AI Models - Oct 2024 guidance
2. OAIC: Privacy and Commercial AI Products - Oct 2024 guidance
3. Privacy Act 1988
4. Privacy Impact Assessment FAQ

AI Procurement¶

1. AI Procurement Guidance - DTA guidance
2. AI Contract Template and Model Clauses - Procurement templates
3. BuyICT - Government ICT procurement

AI Safety and Security¶

1. Australian AI Safety Institute (AISI) - Nov 2025 - New institute operational early 2026
2. International Network of AI Safety Institutes - Australia joining global network
3. ASD: Engaging with AI - Security guidance Jan 2024
4. Information Security Manual
5. AI Security Assessment
6. PSPF

Human Rights and AI¶

1. AHRC: Adopting AI in Australia - May 2024
2. AHRC: Guardrails for High-Risk AI - Oct 2024
3. Human Rights and Technology Final Report

Fairness and Bias¶

1. Fairlearn Documentation
2. How to Conduct Bias Testing
3. Fairness and Machine Learning (book)

MLOps¶

1. MLflow Documentation
2. MLOps Guide
3. Designing Machine Learning Systems (book)

AI Training and Learning¶

1. AI in Government Fundamentals - APS Academy
2. GovSafeAI Knowledge Hub - Learning resources
3. Introduction to AI Scholarships - 1M free courses
4. Google ML Crash Course

AI Research and Innovation¶

1. CSIRO Responsible AI Research Centre - Dec 2024
2. Gradient Institute - Responsible AI research
3. National AI Centre - Coordinating AI activities
4. Responsible AI Network

Contributing¶

Know of a valuable resource not listed here? Contact the toolkit maintainers to suggest additions.

Last updated: 3 December 2025 Comprehensive update including all major Australian Government AI resources, policies, frameworks, tools, and programs announced 2023-2025

Major 2025 Updates: - National AI Plan (2 Dec 2025) - AI Plan for the Australian Public Service 2025 (2 Dec 2025) - Australian AI Safety Institute announcement (25 Nov 2025) - Guidance for AI Adoption (Oct 2025) - replaces Voluntary AI Safety Standard - Existing laws approach to AI regulation (no standalone AI Act) - GovSafeAI Platform and GovSafeAI Chat - International Network of AI Safety Institutes membership

Related documents: Toolkit Index | Getting Started