Productivity Commission’s shortsighted recommendations are a blueprint for theft of nation’s creative and cultural assets

MEDIA STATEMENT 

Wednesday, August 6, 2025 

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 The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance is dismayed by recommendations proposed by the Productivity Commission today, including its resistance to much-needed legislation and regulation that would protect Australia’s creative and media workforce from AI theft. 

The Productivity Commission’s interim report, ‘Harnessing data and digital technology’, is a blueprint for the wholesale theft of Australia’s art, media, and cultural heritage that will do nothing more than further enrich the billionaires in Silicon Valley. 

As MEAA’s 2025 AI survey released earlier this month revealed, media, creative, and entertainment workers are urging the government to regulate Artificial Intelligence, amid widespread concern about stolen work and future job losses.  

More than 90 per cent of workers want AI regulation and for technology giants to be forced to pay for the work they steal. 

MEAA reiterates its call on the government to respect the fundamental role that Australia’s creative and media workforce play in our society and introduce economy-wide regulations that will ensure consent, compensation and control over work that could be used to train AI.  

MEAA rejects calls from the Commission to ‘pause’ steps to mandate the Government’s proposed guardrails legislation. Safeguards around transparency, labelling, and the attribution of liability are urgently needed to contain the potential harms of this technology. 

MEAA also rejects suggestions that existing copyright laws be rolled back, which would effectively enable a transfer of resources from Australian creatives to mostly foreign big tech companies, with no chance of compensation. 

We are pleased the Federal Government has acted quickly to rule out going down this disastrous path.  

MEAA chief executive Erin Madeley said the Productivity Commission’s interim recommendations were akin to “throwing Australia’s creative and media workers under a bus”. 

“There are no recommendations in this report that protect Australian workers or creative assets,” Ms Madeley said. 

“Our members have serious concerns about the rapid and unregulated rise of AI and its impact on day-to-day work, job security, and future employment prospects, as well as the impact of the loss of human-led creativity for Australia’s unique culture. 

Also missing in discussions about regulating AI has been any consideration of how to compensate workers who have had their work stolen by AI developers overseas. 

“We know that Australian voices, music, and artwork have been scraped overseas, that ChatGPT is substituting the work of our journalists, and that AI-generated clone hosts have been used for radio programs – with no disclosure to audiences. 

“Companies like Meta, which recorded $US165 billion in revenue last year, should be paying for the creative assets, works, and ideas that they have stolen, but that is not happening. 

“That’s theft – plain and simple. 

“MEAA is calling on the government to reject the Productivity Commission’s short-sighted proposals and stand up for Australian workers by introducing AI-specific regulation as a matter of urgency.”