2026-04-01
Quotes attributable to Greens spokesperson for communications and the environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young:
“Labor must not sell out Australian creators, journalists and our environment for the profits of big tech and the AI juggernauts.
“Australians have the right to know the details of what the Albanese Government has agreed to with tech giant Anthropic today.
“There are serious questions about the impact this deal will have on our environment and creative sectors. Data centres have a huge environmental footprint. They use massive amounts of water and energy and impact biodiversity.
“We know that big AI companies are actively lobbying the Albanese Government to change Australian law to remove copyright protections and allow them unfettered and free use of copyrighted material in Australia.
“Those in the creative sector are rightly concerned that the signing of this deal is a signal that the Albanese Government has gone weak on artist and journalist protections.
“Artists, authors, musicians, journalists and so many other Australian workers run the risk of having their work gobbled up by AI and deserve to know if their government is going to protect their jobs, their intellectual property and their ability to earn a living.
“Australians deserve to see the detail on this deal and the justification for how this is in our national interest.
“The Australian Government must put the interests of Australians above massive multinational tech companies. This deal needs parliamentary scrutiny and we will be pursuing all options available to us.