THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education, and Training has today tabled its report, Study Buddy or Influencer, following its inquiry into the use of generative artificial intelligence in the Australian education system.

Committee Chair, Lisa Chesters MP, said, "Generative AI (GenAI) presents exciting opportunities and yet high stakes risks for the Australian education system."

The Committee’s 25 recommendations explore how Australian schools can maximise the opportunities presented by GenAI while successfully mitigating the risks in using the emerging technology, and ensuring adequate safeguards and guardrails are in place to prevent misuse.

A key focus of the recommendations is to integrate generative artificial intelligence into Australia’s national curriculum as a study buddy for all students to use. These tools need to be fit-for-purpose, relevant to the Australian context, sensitive to gender and cultural considerations, and trained on data that is based on the national curriculum.

The committee identified that this technology has the potential to enhance educational experiences and deliver stronger student outcomes, particularly for Australia’s most vulnerable cohorts of students. 

The committee also believes, risks related to the use of the technology must also be addressed urgently. Of particular importance is the need to protect users, 'especially students’ data, and ensure that educational providers do not select GenAI tools that will store users’ data offshore or sell them to third parties.

The committee recognises that generative artificial intelligence technology may outpace the parameters of the terms of reference of this report, and these recommendations may need to be reviewed in the future.

Ms Chesters said, "These recommendations will forge a strong foundation to regulate the application of generative artificial intelligence in Australia’s education sector and if managed correctly GenAI in the Australian education system will be a valuable study buddy and not an algorithmic influencer."

The full report of the inquiry can be found on the committee’s inquiry webpage.

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THIS WEEK the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters will hold two public hearings as part of its inquiry into civics education, engagement, and participation in Australia on Wednesday, September 11 and Friday, September 13.

Committee Chair, Senator Carol Brown said, "As this inquiry continues, a key theme has been the importance of civics education outside the classroom setting.

"Equal participation in our democracy and the casting of an informed vote depends on a range of factors such as how inclusive and accessible civics education is and how it is being taught outside of school.

"The committee looks forward to exploring how parliaments and universities teach civics and digital literacy and how youth engagement with our democracy can be improved. We will also be learning more about how students navigate the abundance of readily available information online and how they can better identify mis- and dis-information," Senator Brown said.

Public hearings details

Date: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Time: 9.45am to 10.30am
Location: Committee Room 1R1, Parliament House, Canberra
Witness: Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon Milton Dick MP

Date: Friday, 13 September 2024
Time: 8.30am to 12.30pm
Location:Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra
Witnesses: News and Media Research Centre, University of Canberra; Parliamentary Education Office; Universities Australia; Dr Sarah Moulds; Australian Electoral Commission.

A livestream of the hearings will be available via the Parliament’s Watch, Read, Listen website.

Further information about the inquiry, including submissions received and past public hearings, is available on the inquiry webpage.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will hold the first public hearing today for its inquiry into the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

The agreement closes gaps in the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction and enables Australia to take an active role in maintaining the health of marine environments.

Committee Chair, Lisa Chesters MP, said, "The maintenance of ocean health supports Australia’s marine industries and reflects the Government’s international environmental leadership and nature positive agenda. The good health of marine ecosystems, biodiversity and resources provides cultural, social and economic value to Australia.

"As a member of the High Ambition Coalition, Australia has long been an advocate for the Agreement. By ratifying and becoming party to the Agreement, Australia will be able to influence decision making on global environmental action. Ratification will also benefit Australian industries such as tourism, fishing and aquaculture, and will provide Australian scientists with access to undiscovered materials and information," Ms Chesters said.

"This agreement is a priority for many nations within the Indo-Pacific. Early ratification will ensure that Australia remains an influential leader in the agreement’s implementation, contributing to a secure, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific and supports our foreign policy objectives," she said.

The committee will hold the first public hearing at 2pm today, where they will hear evidence from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as well as from panels of academic, industry and NGO stakeholders.

Professor Donald Rothwell will appear at a second hearing on September 9. The committee will hear evidence relating to his submission to the inquiry.

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday 5 September 2024
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Location: Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra

Date: Monday 9 September 2024
Time: 12.10pm to 12.40pm (approximately)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

More information about the committee and its inquiry can be found on the Committee’s website.

The hearings will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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AS PART of its inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water will travel to Brisbane to hear from representatives of the Queensland Government, the heavy vehicle industry, EV manufacturers and experts in battery technologies.

The committee will hold a half day of public hearings before conducting a site visit to Queensland Energy Storage Technology (QUEST) Hub, a facility enabling the research, development and commercialisation of battery materials, cells and systems.

On Friday September 6, the committee will conduct a second site visit to Lava Blue Ltd’s Centre for Predictive Research into Specialty Materials (PRiSM), where researchers are developing processes for manufacturing battery-grade materials.

Chair of the committee, Mr Tony Zappia MP, said, "The committee is eager to hear from the Queensland Government about its Electric Super Highway that is connecting commuters and tourists with fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles along the coastline and into regional and rural Queensland. In addition, the committee is looking forward to meeting with witnesses to further explore the impact the transition to EVs may have for Australian consumers and our transport and heavy vehicle sector.

"The site visits will give the committee an important opportunity to learn more about Australia’s growing domestic battery industry, battery certification and the circular economy."

The program for the public hearings can be found here.

The committee will be holding further public hearings in Canberra and Adelaide in September and October 2024. Further information about the inquiry is available on the committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: 5 September 2024
Time: 9am – 1pm
Location: Committee Room 1 (CR1), Queensland Parliament, Brisbane.
Witnesses: Queensland Government, ACE EV Group, Janus Electric, Volvo Group Australia, Strata Solve, Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia, Queensland University of Technology Energy Storage Research Group and the Queensland Energy Storage Technology Hub.

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