New ARC Training Centre to build Australia's AI governance workforce
A new Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre for AI Governance, Oversight and Assurance has secured funding for a five-year program to train a specialised workforce and develop tools for safe, secure and privacy-preserving AI. Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) are among the contributors.
- A new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for AI Governance, Oversight and Assurance has secured funding for a five-year program.
- It aims to train a specialised workforce and develop frameworks and tools for safe, secure and privacy-preserving AI in critical sectors.
- Researchers, industry, government and regulators will work together on assurance tools, controlled testing environments, governance and certification.
- ADM+S Chief Investigators Anthony McCosker and Kath Albury of Swinburne University of Technology are among the contributors.
- Professor McCosker will lead the Translation strategy and co-lead a program on operationalising AI governance and compliance.
Five-year program for critical sectors
The Centre has secured ARC funding to run a five-year program. According to the ADM+S announcement, the focus is on developing the expertise, frameworks and tools needed to train a specialised workforce and to advance safe, secure and privacy-preserving AI in critical sectors.
ADM+S says the initiative arrives as AI is increasingly adopted in sectors including defence, healthcare and finance, where reliability, safety and accountability are essential. The announcement argues that Australia still needs greater technical capability, practical frameworks and a specialised workforce so that AI systems can be independently tested, assessed and deployed with confidence.
What the Centre will work on
The Training Centre will bring together researchers, industry, government and regulators. Its work will centre on several areas:
- translating regulatory and safety requirements into practical technical processes
- developing assurance tools and controlled testing environments
- advancing approaches to AI governance, certification and human-AI collaboration
Two ADM+S Chief Investigators from Swinburne University of Technology, Professor Anthony McCosker and Professor Kath Albury, have been named among the contributing researchers. Professor McCosker will lead the Centre's Translation strategy and will be one of the Program co-leads on 'Operationalising AI Governance and Compliance'.
"It's exciting to have this opportunity to work with new partner organisations to realise AI governance strategies and translate research into practice," said Professor McCosker.
Expected outcomes and what they mean
The expected outcomes include practical frameworks, tools and testbeds to support transparent, compliant and resilient AI systems. According to the announcement, the work should also strengthen Australia's sovereign AI capabilities and position the country to contribute to international standards and responsible AI development.
The five-year initiative will also provide training opportunities for a specialised workforce equipped to bridge the technical, regulatory and safety dimensions of AI. For organisations in sectors such as defence, healthcare and finance, the Centre is intended to produce both people and methods for testing and assessing AI systems. The source does not name the partner organisations or give the funding amount.
ARC Centre of Excellence for ADM+S: ADM+S researchers join new ARC Training Centre for AI Governance, Oversight and Assurance
