MEDIA RELEASE - ‘MYSTIFYING’: SERVICES AUSTRALIA REFUSES TO PARTICPATE IN PRIME MINISTER’S AI TRIAL

PAUL FLETCHER MP

Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy

Manager of Opposition Business in the House

MEDIA RELEASE

7 March 2024

‘MYSTIFYING’: SERVICES AUSTRALIA REFUSES TO PARTICPATE IN PRIME MINISTER’S AI TRIAL
 

The failure by Services Australia to take part in a government wide trial of Microsoft’s Copilot artificial intelligence tool is yet more proof of the Albanese Labor Government’s lack of commitment to improving service delivery to Australians by leveraging digital transformation.

Yesterday, the Digital Transformation Agency confirmed that Services Australia would not participate in the trial, announced by the Prime Minister in November 2023.

The knock back comes despite some 7,400 plus public servants from over 50 Australian Public Service agencies participating in the AI trial that is set to conclude in June 2024.

Shadow Minister for Government Services Paul Fletcher said the government continues to fumble its response to managing generative AI.

“It is mystifying that Services Australia, one of the Commonwealth’s largest public sector agencies, has chosen to sit out this important trial,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Last month, when asked why the agency had chosen not to participate in the trial, a spokesperson said, ‘Our current priority is on managing service delivery pressures …’.

“Clearly, Bill Shorten’s inability to address his massive claims backlog is reducing the capacity of Services Australia to lead on digital transformation and, in turn, to harness the latest technology to deliver a better customer service experience.

“If Bill Shorten was serious about improving his agency’s performance, then he would have made Services Australia the first agency to sign up. AI could result in staff spending less time of paperwork and more time on helping struggling Australians.”

“It’s becoming increasingly clear that under this government, the Digital Transformation Agency is not being sufficiently empowered from the top down to drive a truly whole-of-government digital transformation agenda.

“This failure of leadership is compounded by the sad fact that Labor has no Minister for the Digital Economy, which means opportunities to emulate private sector best practice into a public sector context are being missed and ignored.”

Media contact: William Sparling | 0416 628 276 | [email protected]