AI Policy Update: Strengthening responsible use across government
This is a live compliance mandate for non-corporate Commonwealth entities — agencies must now act to meet staged deadlines starting June 2026.
Key points
- DTA's updated Policy for the responsible use of AI in government came into effect 15 December 2025 for all non-corporate Commonwealth entities.
- New mandatory requirements include internal AI use-case registers, accountable owners, AI impact assessments, and foundational AI training for all APS staff.
- First mandatory requirement begins 15 June 2026; all remaining requirements take effect December 2026, giving agencies a staged implementation window.
Implications for Australian agencies
- Implement Non-corporate Commonwealth entities must establish internal AI use-case registers, assign accountable owners, and embed AI incident and reporting processes ahead of the June 2026 deadline.
- Implement Agencies should plan and resource mandatory foundational AI training for all staff to meet the December 2026 requirements.
- Consider Corporate Commonwealth entities encouraged but not mandated to apply the Policy may want to assess whether voluntary adoption aligns with their risk and governance posture.
Implications are AI-generated. Starting points, not advice — see methodology for how they're framed.
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Weekly digest, 5 January 2026
"AI Policy Update: Strengthening responsible use across government"
Source: DTA – Media Releases
Published: 11 January 2026
URL: https://www.dta.gov.au/articles/ai-policy-update-strengthening-responsible-use-across-government
DTA has updated the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government, effective 15 December 2025, strengthening governance obligations for all non-corporate Commonwealth entities. Key changes include mandatory foundational AI training for all APS staff, a requirement to maintain an internal register of in-scope AI use cases with assigned accountable owners, and a pre-deployment AI impact assessment for each use case assessed against Australia's AI Ethics Principles. A new AI impact assessment tool has been released to support compliance. Requirements are staged, with the first mandatory obligation commencing 15 June 2026 and remaining requirements due by December 2026.
Implications for Australian agencies:
- [Implement] Non-corporate Commonwealth entities must establish internal AI use-case registers, assign accountable owners, and embed AI incident and reporting processes ahead of the June 2026 deadline.
- [Implement] Agencies should plan and resource mandatory foundational AI training for all staff to meet the December 2026 requirements.
- [Consider] Corporate Commonwealth entities encouraged but not mandated to apply the Policy may want to assess whether voluntary adoption aligns with their risk and governance posture.
Retrieved from SIMS, 18 July 2026.