15 July 2026 – For Immediate Release
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has welcomed the Federal Government’s intention to establish an Office of AI within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, describing it as an important step towards coordinated national leadership on artificial intelligence.
The move would position Australia as the first country to bring the economic, social, national security and environmental implications of AI together under a single national framework.
ACS CEO Dr Prins Ralston said ACS was ready to support the new office with its expertise in workforce capability, professional standards, skills recognition, and digital sovereignty.
“ACS hopes the Office of AI will provide the coordination needed to connect policy, standards, workforce planning, and implementation across government and industry.
“Artificial intelligence is a foundational technology that will shape every part of Australia’s economy and society,” Dr Ralston said.
“In the age of AI, we need to go beyond raw technical ability and ensure those skills are applied responsibly, ethically, and with sound professional judgement.
“Like cyber security, AI is an area where nationally consistent professional recognition helps us ensure powerful digital technology works for us, and not the other way around.”
ACS welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement of legislated standards for AI, including clear rules for the development of large data centres.
“Data centres that expand Australia's capacity are good for the economy and for Australia's strategic position in the Indo-Pacific. But this infrastructure will only ever be as sovereign as the professional workforce that designs, operates, secures, and governs it.”
ACS is already partnering with government, industry, and the tech community on several initiatives relevant to the office’s proposed role:
Leading the CyberPath consortium to develop a nationally consistent framework for cyber security roles and capabilities
Accrediting higher education IT degrees according to international standards
Supporting the Federal Government’s goal of 1.2 million tech workers by 2030
Working with the Future Skills Organisation to define and validate entry-level pathways into the technology sector
Creating a network for IT professionals to connect and continually develop their professional skills
Ensuring Australian IT professionals meet a high ethical standard of professional conduct
Developing digital workforce capabilities with professional partners using the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA)
Advancing sovereign credentialing frameworks like the Human Capability Record.
Dr Ralston said the Office of AI could help embed ACS’s Digital Sovereignty principle of “open where possible, sovereign where necessary” across national workforce and credentialing systems.
“The Office of AI is well placed to help anchor credentialing and skills recognition in trusted, sovereign and portable infrastructure such as the Human Capability Record,” Dr Ralston said.
“A coordinated approach would support workforce mobility and nationally consistent recognition, while helping government and industry avoid fragmented or vendor-specific systems.”
ACS President Beau Tydd said the Office of AI needs to be supported by a skilled and professionally recognised workforce.
“Funding and focus need to extend beyond regulation and standards-setting into skills and professional development. Without a workforce equipped to implement these frameworks, Australia risks building sophisticated governance architecture without the capability needed to realise its benefits.”
“We look forward to working with the Office of AI and the Commonwealth Government as the initiative develops.”
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Further information
Troy Steer
Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy
M – 0417 173 740
E – troy.steer@acs.org.au
About ACS
ACS is the voice of Australia’s technology sector, representing over 41,000 technology professionals across all industries and across the nation. Our members work in industry, education, government, and the community delivering the digital services that drive the nation and provide the high-skilled jobs of today and tomorrow. ACS works to grow the technology sector while making sure IT professionals act ethically, responsibly, and in keeping with the best interests of not only their employers, but the wider community. Through our network of branches in every state and Territory, our innovation lab, education programs and our history of over sixty years, ACS works to help all Australians be part of the nation’s highest growth sector. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.