Fri 13 Mar 2026 Data and Digital Ministers Meeting advances national priorities Government Digital ID, Finance (Department)
AI is now a standing agenda item at Australia's cross-jurisdictional Data and Digital Ministers Meeting—signalling growing intergovernmental attention to AI governance.
Key points
- The February 2026 DDMM agreed that emerging technologies, including AI, will become a standing agenda item at future meetings.
- The APS AI Plan 2025 was cited as a reference point for AI's role in improving government efficiency and service delivery.
- AI governance is a minor thread in a broader digital identity, data sharing, and cyber security agenda.
Summary
The February 2026 Data and Digital Ministers Meeting (DDMM), hosted by the Department of Finance, agreed on national digital priorities for 2026 and launched an updated Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials Strategy. Emerging technologies including AI were elevated to a standing agenda item, with the APS AI Plan 2025 cited as context. Other outcomes included cyber security briefings from ASD, progress on national data sharing, and a priority set of nationally interoperable verifiable credentials. AI governance is a secondary thread alongside broader digital identity and data reform.
Implications for Australian agencies
- Monitor Agencies involved in AI governance or strategy may want to monitor future DDMM communiqués, as AI is now a standing agenda item with potential cross-jurisdictional implications.
- Consider Policy teams could consider how the intergovernmental data sharing and digital identity work program intersects with agency-level AI use cases involving identity or service delivery data.
Implications are AI-generated. Starting points, not advice.
"Fri 13 Mar 2026 Data and Digital Ministers Meeting advances national priorities Government Digital ID, Finance (Department)" Source: Dept of Finance – News Published: 13 March 2026 URL: https://www.finance.gov.au/about-us/news/2026/data-and-digital-ministers-meeting-advances-national-priorities The February 2026 Data and Digital Ministers Meeting (DDMM), hosted by the Department of Finance, agreed on national digital priorities for 2026 and launched an updated Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials Strategy. Emerging technologies including AI were elevated to a standing agenda item, with the APS AI Plan 2025 cited as context. Other outcomes included cyber security briefings from ASD, progress on national data sharing, and a priority set of nationally interoperable verifiable credentials. AI governance is a secondary thread alongside broader digital identity and data reform. Implications for Australian agencies: - [Monitor] Agencies involved in AI governance or strategy may want to monitor future DDMM communiqués, as AI is now a standing agenda item with potential cross-jurisdictional implications. - [Consider] Policy teams could consider how the intergovernmental data sharing and digital identity work program intersects with agency-level AI use cases involving identity or service delivery data. Retrieved from SIMS, 18 May 2026.