SABRA LANE, HOST: The Federal Government is setting up an Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute to assess emerging capabilities and assess the risks of the technology. Senator Tim Ayres, the Federal Industry, Innovation and Science Minister will have oversight of it, and he joined me a short time ago.

Minister, welcome back to the program.

SENATOR TIM AYRES, MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND INNOVATION AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE: Thanks Sabra. Really good to be here in the studio in Canberra with you.

HOST: You've said that this institute will be up and running by early 2026. How much will it cost, how many people will be working for it, and where will it be headquartered?

AYRES: Well, we'll have more to say as part of the usual budget and MYEFO processes about how this is funded. But it will be in the heart of government here in Canberra, working in my department to perform this important function on behalf of government and on behalf of the Australian people to make sure that we're taking every step to keep Australians safe as this new technology unfolds and evolves across Australia's landscape, in our workplaces, in our homes and in our communities.

HOST: The previous Minister, Ed Husic, conducted a 12-month consultation period with industry over specific laws. In January this year he said that the government was in the final stages of developing mandatory guidelines.

AYRES: Well, I'm building on the work that was done in the last term by Ed and the team. The Safety Institute is an important component of the government's approach here. I gave a commitment early in this term that we would deliver an artificial intelligence plan for Australia by the end of this year. There are a few Christmas decorations in the studio on the way in, Sabra; the end of the year is not that far away. But I did want to use this week to sketch out for Australians what the Safety Institute would deliver in terms of its capability.

We signed up to an Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute in 2024 in Seoul with a group of other likeminded countries because it's important that we establish a network of these capabilities around the world, with likeminded economies to make sure that we're getting the best research, the best awareness of the possibilities that the technology offers us and we should never lose sight of that. But also making sure that governments are working together and working in the community to lift capability and make sure we're keeping Australians safe.

HOST: CSIRO comes under your portfolio as well. The combined job cuts under Labor are now 1,110 versus 1,150 under Tony Abbott. The government says it's serious about a Future Made in Australia, but it's really taken the science community by surprise. What does this say about Labor's commitment to science in the modern economy?

AYRES: There are no funding cuts to the CSIRO. That is the most important point.

HOST: But the jobs are gone?

AYRES: Come to those jobs in a moment but no funding cuts. The CSIRO is funded by the Federal Government to the tune of around a billion dollars every year. It's a really important commitment to our premier national science institution. What's going on in the CSIRO is, after 15 years of not doing a systemic review, programs of research, this management and this board are getting on with that work to make sure that all the programs of research match very closely the Federal Government's national science priorities. That's the work that's going on here. We have funded the CSIRO fully. We continue to do that. There are no funding cuts, and none anticipated.

HOST: But those jobs are going. This will all sound a bit harsh to those people who are losing their jobs.

AYRES: The CSIRO has been going through a very thorough internal consultation process, not just this week and last week but over the last few months, to work with the science community and the science and research workers who work inside the CSIRO – terrific people who do amazing research every day of the week, to make sure that those programs of research match the government’s science priorities and that every science dollar is spent firmly in the national interest.

That's what Australians would expect. There's a series of decisions that'll be worked through here. They are tough decisions, but I just stress to you, Sabra, no funding cuts to the CSIRO; around about a billion dollars every year, and I will keep working with them as the Minister to make sure that this vital national science agency is operating in the national interest, that it's fully capable and it's fit for purpose for future generations.

HOST: You've got busy times at the moment. You've also got the Tomago aluminium smelter in your patch as well. It's understood that the Federal Government could be planning to underwrite the site by investing billions of dollars in taxpayer support through the Snowy Hydro Energy company to provide cheap energy to the smelter. Is that about right?

AYRES: Well, we're working very hard. I said at the beginning of this process that we would leave no stone unturned. I won't confirm details with you, not because I'm trying to avoid the discussion, but we're in the heart – months and months and months of detailed discussions about this important aluminium facility. It's important to the Hunter Valley, it's important to Australia as well.

HOST: Many people, though, will be a bit anxious, like, if we're going to underwrite this, is it going to be a time-limited thing? Will it be two years, five years? Ten years?

AYRES: Well, in all of those considerations, what's required here is the company itself of course investing in the future capability of the plant, a clear pathway through for the two governments and the company to work together to secure the future of the facility. I've been going to this facility for years and years and years. I know it well. It's a vital facility. We'll keep working at it.

HOST: You're hoping to have something before Christmas?

AYRES: Well, of course, I'd like to see security for this facility today. But the nature of these things, Sabra, is if you're serious about it, you keep working at it with your colleagues, with the New South Wales Government, with the owners of the Tomago facility and we will, as I said, leave no stone unturned to work through these issues because it's important for workers, it's important for the Hunter Valley and it's important for Australia.

HOST: Minister, thanks for joining AM this morning.

AYRES: Thanks Sabra.

HOST: The Federal Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Tim Ayres.