This submission draws on TNA’s own research and consultation with members, as well as previous advocacy positions as set out in our National Cultural Policy submission (May 2026) and submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Revive (October 2025). It also incorporates research on the impacts of artificial intelligence on intellectual property rights, and advocacy work calling for the strengthening of Australia’s copyright laws to protect creatives. This critical work has been led by the Copyright Agency, APRA AMCOS, Australian Writers’ Guild, Australian Publishers Association, National Association for the Visual Arts, and Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

TNA welcomes the opportunity to represent the views of our members and the independent performing arts at the Parliamentary Inquiry into AI and Data Centres. We support AI’s potential to expand accessibility, audiences, and revenue for Australia’s creative sector, but only where creators’ copyright and licensing rights are protected and remunerated. We also call for data centre development to be genuinely sustainable and community-led, requiring renewable energy, proper consultation with local and First Nations communities, and careful consideration of water use, environmental impact, and cultural sovereignty before any rollout proceeds.