Last week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the country’s allegedly “world-leading” National AI Plan and associated measures to position AI as a strategic growth industry. This includes targeted public funding, infrastructure standards, and a new central governance structure: the Office of AI under supervision of the prime minister and cabinet. The strategy pictures Australia becoming a regional hub for sustainable AI infrastructure. The forthcoming national AI standards will include protections for creative professionals whose works are used to train AI models, though how this will be achieved is yet to be detailed. But is Australia’s AI plan really world leading?