Protect Australian Music from AI Exploitation

This week, the Productivity Commission released its Interim Report – Harnessing Data and Digital Technology. Buried in the report is a proposal for a major change to Australian copyright law: a new “fair dealing” exception for text and data mining (TDM).

If implemented, this would allow AI companies to legally mine Australian songs, stories, art, research and other creative works, without consent or payment, to train their algorithms. It would mean vast datasets of creative material could be scraped, copied and mimicked by machines, with no licensing or acknowledgement of the original creators.

WHY IT MATTERS

The cultural and economic impact would be devastating.

As APRA AMCOS, ARIA and PPCA have already warned, this proposal undermines the foundation of intellectual property rights that Australian artists rely on. It:

• Contradicts decades of established copyright protections

• Erodes the value of Australian creative industries at home and overseas

• Hands profits to Big Tech while stripping creators of control over their work

• Conflicts with the aims of the National Cultural Policy – Revive, which commits to fair pay and respect for creators

MUSIC VICTORIA'S POSITION

This is not innovation - it's theft and it’s exploitation.

Music Victoria stands with Australian songwriters, performers and creators in rejecting this proposal. We support the development of ethical, responsible AI, but it must be built on consent, transparency and fair remuneration.

Have Your Say – Submissions Close 5pm AEST, Monday 15 September

We urge everyone in the music sector to speak out.

Make your submission here: pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/data-digital#interim and tell the Commission to protect, not exploit, Australian music.

Music has value. Artists have rights. Our culture is not free for the taking