Australia proposes mandatory safety rules for frontier AI models, including independent audits

Australia's government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a law that would impose mandatory safety rules on frontier AI companies operating in the country for the first time. Frontier model makers would have to open their models to independent audits, maintain ongoing safety checks, publish safety frameworks and report security incidents to the government immediately, with a new oversight body working alongside the Australian AI Safety Institute to enforce compliance and issue steep penalties. The government said it is putting domestic guardrails in place before entering international negotiations, and more details will follow once consultations wrap up.