New AI Review Committee: Enhancing oversight of government AI use

The Australian Government has announced the establishment of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Review Committee, a key initiative under the Trust pillar of the AI Plan for the Australian Public Service. 

The Committee will help agencies adopt AI safely and consistently by providing expert scrutiny and practical, risk-based advice on a range of proposals.

The Committee will provide expert non-binding advice to government agencies on:

• new AI use cases with a residual high-risk rating before they are deployed
• new AI use cases an agency identifies as highly sensitive, complex or novel before they are deployed
• serious AI incidents after the agency has completed its own response and remediation activities. 

“The Committee is not designed to replace agency accountability or duplicate existing governance processes,” explains Lucy Poole, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Strategy, Planning and Performance. “Agencies remain responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and monitoring the risks of their AI use cases.”

The Committee supports the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government by strengthening oversight for AI use that could materially affect people, services or public trust.

“We want Australians to have confidence that government is using AI responsibly,” continues Ms Poole “The AI Review Committee will provide expert, practical advice so agencies can innovate while putting strong safeguards around decisions and services that affect people.”

Membership

By bringing together senior leaders with relevant expertise, the Committee lifts AI risk management capability and consistency across government while balancing this against faster, safer adoption of AI in areas that matter most to Australians.

The Committee includes 6 members from across the Australian Government, bringing a broad range of expertise:

• Mr Chris Fechner, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Transformation Agency (Committee Chair)
• Dr Kate Conroy, General Manager of the AI Safety Institute, Department of Industry, Science and Resources
• Ms Carly Kind, Privacy Commissioner, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
• Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, National Cyber Security Coordinator, National Office of Cyber Security
• Ms Jo Talbot, Acting Deputy Commissioner, Workplace Relations, Integrity and Enabling Services, Australian Public Service Commission
• Mr Andrew Watson, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Data Officer, Australian Taxation Office 

“We’re setting a clear, consistent approach to how government uses AI in higher‑risk settings,” said Ms Poole. “This Committee brings the right expertise together to support agencies to move with confidence – strengthening safeguards, improving transparency and ensuring AI delivers real benefits for Australians while maintaining trust.”

Next steps

The Committee terms of reference will be published after the first meeting in late June, along with future meeting communiqués, on digital.gov.au.

To find out more about the AI Review Committee, visit digital.gov.au.