Australia will put technology and online safety at the heart of its campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to argue that cyberattacks, AI and digital threats are matters of international peace and security. Source: The Age.
Mr Albanese will travel to New York today to launch the government’s formal campaign for a two-year term on the Security Council in 2029-30, with Australia seeking to turn its record on digital safety into a diplomatic selling point.
Mr Albanese will also visit Apple’s California headquarters at the weekend, when he meets board executive chairman Tim Cook to discuss new parental controls for children, partly inspired by Australia’s social media reforms.
The government also confirmed he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN, where the pair are expected to announce a bilateral security agreement.
The government will argue that rapidly evolving threats involving artificial intelligence, cyberspace and online safety will increasingly intersect with international peace and security by the time Australia takes its seat.
Ahead of the 2028 vote, Albanese will co-lead high-level discussions on technology safety alongside international leaders at the UN General Assembly. He will promote Australia’s commitment to multilateralism and work with international partners on what the government describes as shared challenges, including building a safe digital future.
The Albanese Government is also preparing a sweeping new push to shape Australia’s response to artificial intelligence, with tougher rules for AI infrastructure and possible restrictions on recording smart glasses in Commonwealth workplaces.
It will today open public consultation on the development of Australia’s AI standards, covering data centres, energy, water use, safety and transparency.
Mr Albanese will point to Australia’s previous term a temporary member of the Security Council, including its role during the international response to the MH17 disaster, as evidence of the influence middle powers can wield at the top diplomatic table.
Australia and Finland are so far uncontested for the two positions for the Western Europe and Others Group; however, the campaign will require a two-thirds majority of the UN General Assembly.
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Albanese puts cyber safety at heart of bid for UN Security Council seat (By Rob Harris, The Age)
