Australia will place cyber safety, artificial intelligence and digital threats at the centre of its campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, as Anthony Albanese prepares to launch the country’s bid in New York.
The prime minister will travel to the US on Friday to begin the formal campaign for a two-year term in 2029-30. The government will argue that rapidly developing risks in cyberspace and online safety are increasingly connected to international peace and security.
Australia and Finland are currently uncontested for the two positions allocated to the Western Europe and Others Group. However, the successful candidates will still need the support of two-thirds of the UN General Assembly.
Mr Albanese will use the UN General Assembly’s high-level week to promote Australia’s record on digital safety and its commitment to working through international institutions. He will co-lead high-level discussions on technology safety with other world leaders ahead of the 2028 vote.
“Australia’s prosperity and security depend on a strong global system, where nations work together, agreed rules are respected, and cooperation delivers shared benefits,” Mr Albanese said.
“Australia is working to prevent online harm, particularly for our children, and I am proud that Australia is setting the world standard for digital safety.”
During his visit, Mr Albanese will travel to Apple’s headquarters in California to meet the company’s executive chairman, Tim Cook. Their discussions are expected to include new parental controls for children, partly influenced by Australia’s social media reforms.
The prime minister is also due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN. The two leaders are expected to announce a bilateral security agreement.
Mr Albanese will point to Australia’s previous term as a temporary member of the Security Council, including its role during the international response to the MH17 disaster, as evidence that middle powers can exert influence at the highest levels of diplomacy.
The government’s campaign will also focus on climate action, support for Pacific neighbours, middle-power diplomacy and stronger protections for international humanitarian personnel. Foreign Minister Penny Wong will join Mr Albanese in New York to promote efforts to build coalitions protecting aid workers and to strengthen the international rules Canberra relies on for its security and prosperity.
Mr Albanese said Australia needed to secure the economic and national security benefits of artificial intelligence while protecting its national interests.
“Now to do that, we have to be engaged with our friends in the United States, because the two big countries that are engaged, of course, are the United States and China in what is this extraordinary emerging technology that will change the way that society functions over our lifetime, but over the next decade,” he said.
The government is also preparing a broader national approach to artificial intelligence. Public consultation on Australian AI standards will open on Friday, covering data centres, energy, water use, safety and transparency.
Mr Albanese will deliver Australia’s National Statement during the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, where he is also expected to discuss fuel costs, climate change and conflict.
He will receive an Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award during the New York visit, alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Formula One president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali, and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo. The awards will be presented at a dinner on September 23.
