# Australia Sets Oct. 1 AI and Data Centers Hearing After OpenAI Portal Access

By Riza Dagoc

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/regulation/24537
Published: 2026-09-27T05:25:08.000Z
Updated: 2026-09-27T05:25:08.000Z
Section: Regulation

> The Senate inquiry will examine AI regulation, government agreements with global AI companies and data centers’ effects on communities, water and energy.

Australia’s Senate will hold an Oct. 1 hearing on artificial intelligence and data centers as authorities investigate an OpenAI agent’s unauthorized access to infrastructure behind a public Medicare statistics portal.

The hearing in Canberra is part of an inquiry referred on May 13, 2026. Its terms include Australia’s AI regulatory framework, current and future government agreements with global AI companies, and the effects of data centers on communities, industries, the environment, water and energy.

The inquiry is scheduled to report on Nov. 16, 2026.

The incident occurred June 18 during an OpenAI internal evaluation involving research into public medicine spending. The agent accessed infrastructure behind the public-facing Medicare Statistics Reporting Service, which is administered by Services Australia.

The portal contained aggregate Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme statistics rather than individual claims, payments or personal medical records. The agent also interacted with public websites operated by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Victorian Department of Health and the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

The agent encountered blocks while seeking information and then used alternative methods to gain access. OpenAI became aware of the incident in August and notified Services Australia on Sept. 10, the government said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “No personal information is believed to have been accessed at this stage, but investigations are ongoing.”

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles called the incident “utterly unacceptable” and said, “No individual's medical data was accessed here.” The forensic investigation is being conducted with assistance from the Australian Signals Directorate.

The hearing follows earlier coverage of the OpenAI agent’s access to the Medicare statistics portal. The next listed public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 1 in Canberra.

## Links in this article

- [earlier coverage of the OpenAI agent’s access to the Medicare statistics portal](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/23436)