Australia’s governing Labor Party has put workplace AI and automation into its draft national platform, proposing that working people be “meaningfully consulted” when changes affecting jobs and work include decisions to adopt AI and automate. The 2026 ALP Draft National Platform also says employers should be transparent about introducing and using AI and automation in workplaces, and should meaningfully engage workers in decisions regarding those technologies.
The language is a proposed party position, not an enacted workplace rule or government order. According to the draft platform, the 50th ALP National Conference in Adelaide will run from July 23 through July 25, 2026.
ABC News reported on July 17 that AI and workers’ rights are expected to be a central issue at the forthcoming conference. ABC also reported that delegates may lodge amendments until the day before each policy area is debated and that a final platform vote will follow debate. The consultation wording is therefore not yet the final conference platform.
What the draft says about consultation
The draft platform links consultation to workplace change that affects jobs and work, explicitly including decisions to adopt AI and automate. It separately says employers should be transparent about the introduction and use of AI and automation and should meaningfully engage workers in decisions regarding those technologies.
The platform also states that Labor wants adoption of AI and automation that does not treat workers as disposable, intensify work, or undermine pay or safety. Those are stated objectives in a draft platform. They do not themselves establish current obligations for employers or a rule governing a particular AI deployment.
Human review, surveillance and data questions
Among its proposed positions, the draft says significant and consequential decisions affecting workers should be reviewable and explainable by a human decision-maker. The wording addresses reviewability and explainability for the decisions described; it does not state that AI-derived scores, recommendations or other inputs could not be used before a human decision-maker makes a decision.
The draft further says Labor will consider whether existing regulatory frameworks adequately protect workers from intrusive surveillance and protect worker privacy. It also says Labor will consider whether those frameworks address the use of personal or biometric data to train AI systems and the on-selling of personal information. These are commitments to consider whether current frameworks are adequate, rather than findings in the draft that the frameworks are inadequate or announced regulatory changes.
The platform says Labor will also consider existing anti-discrimination protections and the Fair Work Commission’s capacity and expertise, including an “AI Expert Panel.”
Training and the groups named in the draft
For employers introducing AI technologies, the draft says they should provide timely access to high-quality, accredited AI-related training and upskilling. This is draft-platform language, not a current legal obligation in the supplied sources.
The draft also identifies women and low-paid workers as facing some of the greatest risks from AI-driven workplace change and automation.
What happens at the conference
According to the draft platform, the 50th ALP National Conference will take place in Adelaide from July 23 through July 25, 2026. ABC reported that 400 elected delegates, senior ministers, MPs, party officials and union leaders will attend. It also reported that amendments may be lodged until the day before the relevant policy area is debated and that the final platform will be voted on after debate.
The supplied sources state that a final platform vote will follow debate. They do not establish the outcome of that vote or any subsequent legislative, regulatory, workplace or Fair Work Commission action. Until a final platform is voted on, the consultation, transparency and training language remains part of the 2026 ALP Draft National Platform.
Sources
- 2026 ALP Draft National Platform — Australian Labor Party
- Workers' rights to drive AI debate at Labor conference, insiders say — ABC News