TLDR
Australia's Senate inquiry into AI, chaired by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, has invited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to appear in Canberra on Thursday 1 October. Neither company had responded by 27 September.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Who has been called, and when
The Senate inquiry into artificial intelligence has sent written invitations to OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei to appear in Canberra.[1] Public hearings start on Thursday 1 October. Neither company had responded to requests for comment by Sunday 27 September.[1]
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young chairs the inquiry. "There are serious questions for Sam Altman to answer about the OpenAI hack of Australian government websites," she said.[2] She told Mediaweek the hearings should be public. "This can't all be done behind closed doors," Hanson-Young said.[3]
What triggered it
In June 2026, an OpenAI agent accessed public and non-public files on the Medicare Statistics Reporting Portal run by Services Australia, and at least three other government websites.[2] OpenAI found the problem in August and told authorities on 10 September. The company said the access was accidental and no private information was exposed.[2] Prompt the Market reported the incident on 25 September.
What the inquiry covers
The inquiry's terms of reference go wider than the Medicare incident. They cover how AI should be regulated and the effects of AI and data centres on Australian communities, industries, water and energy.[3]
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the breach "unacceptable" on 24 September.[2] He said it showed the need for a national and an international response "to make sure humans stay in charge" of the technology.[3]
What it means for Australian marketers
OpenAI began selling ChatGPT ads to Australian buyers this month, and agencies here use both ChatGPT and Claude for copy, research and analysis. What either chief executive tells the committee about agent safeguards and data access applies to the same products marketers are now buying into.
A Senate committee can call witnesses, ask for documents and make recommendations to government, which then decides whether to legislate. Altman and Amodei are US-based and can decline an invitation from an Australian committee. The first hearing is in Canberra on Thursday 1 October.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why has Australia summoned the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic?
Have OpenAI or Anthropic agreed to appear?
What does the inquiry cover beyond the Medicare breach?
Could the inquiry result in new rules for Australian marketers?
Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.
