Free TV backs government’s move to block AI data mining loophole
Free TV Australia has applauded the Albanese Government’s decision to block a proposed “Text and Data Mining” exception to copyright law, describing the move as a win for Australian content creators and the broader media industry.
The proposed exception would have allowed Artificial Intelligence (AI) developers to use creative works — such as news stories, music and video — without permission or payment, to train AI systems. Under such a model, global tech giants could have freely mined the intellectual property of Australian creators to power their AI products.
In a statement released on 27 October 2025, Free TV said the government had made the “right call” by refusing to weaken copyright protections, ensuring that creative industries continue to be rewarded for their work.
“The Government has recognised that we don’t need to weaken copyright protections to drive innovation – quite the opposite,”
said Free TV Chief Executive Officer Bridget Fair.
“Current copyright law already creates the right environment for negotiations between rightsholders and technology companies through proper licensing frameworks.
A TDM exception would have undermined these frameworks and legitimised the use of Australian content to train AI systems without express permission or payment to copyright holders.
The Government has rightly concluded that productivity growth should not come at the expense of the local news media and creative sectors that underpin Australian democracy and culture.”
Ms Fair said that licensing agreements between technology companies and content owners, combined with transparency requirements, were the best way to encourage innovation while still paying creators fairly.
She added that such arrangements would give Australian tech firms access to “high-quality licensed data”, helping to improve the reliability of AI tools and support productivity.
Free TV also renewed its call for enforceable transparency rules for major AI platforms and urged the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to conduct a market study into the AI sector to ensure proper oversight.
The government’s decision follows comments from Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, who said there were “no plans to weaken copyright protections when it comes to AI” and that new frameworks could be developed to protect creators while supporting innovation.
