The visit attracted widespread attention both domestically and abroad, including in Graham Lovelace’s newsletter Charting Gen AI. Lovelace wrote, ‘The world is watching how [Australia] now responds to intense lobbying. Australia can have what [Attorney-General] Rowland’s spokesperson desires: creative industries that are protected and supported, and unlocked innovation in the AI sector. But only on the basis of transparency, consent and compensation.’ 

In a statement to the press, Hayward said, ‘More than three years ago now tech companies in Silicon Valley committed the largest act of copyright theft in history, taking Australian creators’ work from the internet and pirate websites to train their AI models without permission or payment. In the case of books, some companies sourced a bunch of physical copies – tore off the covers and broke the spines – to better feed it into their machines. Despite what tech might tell you, copyright is simple — if you want to use someone’s work you have to ask permission. And copyright is also how authors earn a living. 

‘Standing with me today is Andy Griffiths, the Australian Children’s Laureate, and much beloved author of the Treehouse series. The first time I met Andy was at a book launch event, with hundreds of children in attendance. These kids lined up for hours, diving right into reading the latest Treehouse book while they waited for a signature and a meet-and-greet with their hero Andy Griffiths. Copyright made that experience possible for those kids, and it made Andy’s career possible. Copyright enabled Anna Funder, who is also beside me today, to write stories that otherwise might never have been told, to open up unseen worlds and invite our curiosity about the workings of power.

‘I want to be clear, it is these experiences, these books, these careers, that Big Tech is putting at stake. Despite the Australian government’s commitment to strong copyright, instead of coming to creators and rights holders to do some deals, Big Tech is throwing money at lobbying Canberra for ‘solutions’ that would enable them to erode creators’ rights for chump change. For all intents and purposes, that’s wage theft for the creative industries. The ASA is buoyed by the government’s continued support for copyright and the creative industries. In the face of pressure from Big Tech for a free ride, we need to tell them they’re dreaming.’

Funder wrote an op-ed for The Guardian about the visit, reflecting that it was necessary ‘because cashed-up representatives of big tech – including Google, Meta and Anthropic – have been lobbying the government hard to get rid of our right to our property. But they are not talking to us, who own the property they want. Big tech is falsely linking the gutting of our copyright with the building of AI centres here. That’s a total furphy. The datacentres are being built already. What they really want is to find a way to make the creative product of our country available to them for free, or for peanuts.’ 

In another statement, Funder pointed out AI companies are profitable ‘because they’re trading in stolen work,’ and furthermore, the idea that it is too complicated or difficult to contact Australian creators to ask for their permission to use their work is fallacious. Andy Griffiths echoed these sentiments in his own statement, stating that ‘creative artists like myself rely on copyright for our living’ and that ‘for big tech companies to use my work without permission is theft.’ 

The ASA thanks the Minister for the Arts, the Hon Tony Burke MP, and Special Envoy for the Arts, Susan Templeman MP, for taking the time to meet with us last week.

The creative, cultural and media sectors call on government to: 

• Hold firm on the existing copyright framework and resist pressure from AI companies to reopen or weaken it.
• Continue to stand with Australia’s artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, journalists, performers, songwriters, composers, broadcasters, producers, publishers, and rightsholders.
• Use government power to bring AI platforms to the table with Australian rightsholders for genuine licensing agreements built on permission and payment.
• Position Australia as a world leader in AI development that grows the economy while protecting Australian culture, Australian content, and Australian creative jobs.

We encourage all Australian authors and illustrators to sign the open letter urging the Australian Government to protect our rights and prevent the country’s rich cultural heritage from being traded away to Big Tech. You can read more about the ASA’s AI advocacy here, and stay up-to-date by subscribing to our free newsletter. And if you’re looking for more information about generative AI and its impact upon your publishing agreements, check out our Guide to AI Clauses in the Resources section of our website, which is free to download for ASA members.

If you’re not a member, but you’d like to support our fight to hold AI companies accountable for the largest copyright theft in history, join us or donate today. We are stronger together.