Australia Government

OpenAI research agent breached Australian Medicare statistics portal

Australian PM Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI agent, during a research project, bypassed access restrictions to reach parts of a Medicare Statistics Reporting Portal it wasn't authorized to enter. The incident occurred in June and is now under government investigation, with a task force reviewing possible law enforcement or legislative responses. Albanese said the portal contains public statistics rather than sensitive Medicare data, and no personal information or the wider Services Australia network was compromised.

cnet.com · 2026-09-24

Australia weighs national ban on Meta's AI smart glasses in federal workplaces

Australia's public service minister Katy Gallagher announced the government is exploring a ban on Meta's AI-enabled smart glasses in federal government buildings, citing privacy and security risks tied to their recording capabilities. Officials plan to consult the public service commission and hold a roundtable with major employers like Microsoft and Commonwealth Bank to develop broader AI workplace guidelines.

futurism.com · 2026-09-20