Does Andrew Leigh support AI safety?
Andrew Leigh (Labor) represents Fenner in the House and is seeking re-election.
Andrew Leigh MP is an expert on existential risks who has written extensively on the topic and has publicly stated that AI represents "the biggest Catastrophic Risk that we face." At the Australians for AI Safety Virtual Town Hall, he emphasised that many AI researchers believe superintelligent AI could "lead to the doom of humanity" and compared the situation to not boarding a plane with a 5% crash risk, stating that "reducing that 5% probability is a huge priority." Labor's official position on key AI safety policies is less definitive. Given his role as Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and his recognised expertise on existential risks, Andrew Leigh could influence the party's stance on AI safety, including moving them towards more robust commitments on both policies.
Their score on expert-recommended AI safety policies
Over 356 experts, public figures, and concerned citizens endorsed these policies in their open letter before the 2025 election.
AI Safety Institute
A well-resourced, independent technical body to assess AI risks and advise on safety standards.
Andrew Leigh unclear position (from party policy)
Party Notes: Labor claims that the Department of Industry, working with the National AI Centre (NAIC), is Australia's AI Safety Institute. This contrasts with international AISIs, which are typically new, independent, technically-focused bodies. The NAIC’s mandate is AI adoption, not frontier safety. Key indicators of a functional AISI such as dedicated technical staff, specific funding, evaluation capabilities (e.g., model testing, compute resources) appear absent and unplanned. This makes Labor's position ambiguous regarding genuine support for a well-resourced safety institute.
Mandatory Guardrails
A dedicated AI Act with mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI systems will both protect Australians and create the certainty businesses need to innovate.
Andrew Leigh partially supports (from party policy)
Party Notes: Labor says it's focused on legislative options around mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI, harmonised with international best practices. Labor said on 15 April, “We will have more to say about next steps soon.” While this suggests an Australian AI Act is a possibility, it leaves the door open to letting existing regulators handle AI on a piecemeal basis.