Productivity Commission reports released

December 19, 2025

On 19 December 2025, the Productivity Commission (PC) released final reports from its inquiry into productivity.

Our submissions to the Productivity Commission are here.

The PC’s report on Harnessing data and digital technology includes the following recommendation:

Recommendation 2.1

A review of Australian copyright settings and the impact of AI The Australian Government should monitor the development of AI and its interaction with copyright holders over the next three years. It should monitor the following areas:

    • licensing markets for open web materials
    • the effect of AI on creative incomes generated by copyright royalties
    • how overseas courts set limits to AI-related copyright exceptions, especially fair use.

If after three years the monitoring program shows that these issues have not resolved, the government could establish an Independent Review of Australian copyright settings and the impact of AI. The Review’s scope could include, but not be limited to, consideration of whether:

    • copyright settings continue to be a barrier to the use of open material in AI training, and if so whether changes to copyright law could reduce these barriers
    • copyright continues to be the appropriate vehicle to incentivise creation of new works and if not, what alternatives could be pursued.

In October 2025, the Attorney General confirmed that the Australian government would not introduce a text a data mining (TDM) exception in favour of AI developers. She also announced that the Copyright and AI Reference Group (CAIRG) would review licensing solutions for AI development in Australia. Our response to the announcement is here. We are a member of the CAIRG and its Steering Committee.

The PC’s report on Building a skilled and adaptable workforce includes recommendations relating to:

  • national frameworks to assess the quality of teaching resources
  • access to high-quality instructional materials
  • access to educational technology
  • professional development to support teachers to implement best practice