“With AI you can create a company here in Macquarie Fields or Campbelltown, and sell to somebody in North America, in Asia, Africa,’’ says Anoulack Chanthivong when we sit down for what has become a bit of a tradition, the annual South West Voice interview with the local MP.
“These are borderless transactions, so that’s why investment in this technology, in the skills of our people, and things like new data centres, is so important to create the jobs of the future and a more resilient economy in NSW,’’ he says.
It’s true that for better or worse, artificial intelligence or AI, as it is more commonly known, is rapidly becoming embedded in just about every part of our lives.
And it’s no surprise to find out that AI is also currently at the epicentre of just about every new policy or reform by government ministers like Anoulack Chanthivong.
The State Member for Macquarie Fields since 2015, he has five portfolios, and he admits that AI is an increasingly important cog in all of them.
Mr Chanthivong is the minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Industry and Trade, Innovation, Science and Technology, Building, and Corrections.
Not bad for someone who was six years old when he arrived in Australia from Laos with his parents and three brothers.
“AI is the talk of the town, given its significance to the way we work, communicate, how businesses will have to adapt; this is a significant change, a technology revolution and the NSW Government have to be ready for it and take advantage of it,’’ he says.
“There’s a number of things we’re doing, like developing an AI framework for public administration, policy set up, investment, cyber security.’’
“As we’re all aware, there are parts of AI use that are causing concern.
“Our friends in Canberra are also looking at how AI is nationally, what are the guard rails for AI, because AI can be really used for good, but for bad too, so we can’t be naïve or oblivious to the misuse of AI,’’ says Minister Chanthivong.
“Under my portfolio we are implementing the innovation blueprint via $80m to the sector, not just for the AI, there’s all sorts of cyber security, data, all these things are part of the technology sector, and AI is one of them, it’s certainly one of the bigger parts of it.
“We use AI in the planning system to make approvals and assessments more efficient.
“We use AI in the education system to help teachers do a lot of their admin – we want more of our teachers to be in the classroom, not doing paperwork.
“We need to encourage investment in good data centres; AI can’t function without them. But it’s also about upskilling our people, both in the public and private sector.
“In short, AI is massive, it’s significant, and the government is looking at this from a number of angles, for good but also for guard rails, and investment into AI to make our economy more efficient.
“AI is here, and we can’t prevent this from being deployed, it’s about how to take advantage of it, how do we change our education system and our skills and training system to ensure our people have the skills to take advantage of AI,’’ he says.
Mr Chanthivong says that he enjoys all of the portfolios he’s been in charge of since March 2023.
So I ask him about prisons, or Corrections, to give it it’s proper title.
“Corrections may not get the headlines, but the reforms since we came to office have been quite significant,’’ he says.
He tells the South West Voice that the prisons across the state have a capacity of 15,500 beds, and that there are currently just under 13,000 inmates on the inside.
And on the policy front there’s a lot going on, off the back of what the minister calls “the biggest changes in 20-30 years’’.
“We’re changing the way we do remand – because there’s a huge increase in that area – and how we assess alleged offenders as they come into the system,’’ he says.
“Were also making physical changes to our prisons, spending money to remove what they call hanging points.
“We’re upgrading our facilities, using much more technology, implementing a women’s strategy to make sure they have safe spaces.
“We have a new commission which will make significant cultural changes, and we have changed the way inmate discipline is being handled.
“We’re also currently doing a rapid review around deaths in custody.’’
Our final question is about the work to upgrade Macquarie Fields station, including finally making it inclusive for people with disabilities.
“It took a Labor Government to deliver for the community of South West Sydney,’’ he says.
“The changes at the station will be significant, and it will be ready late 2026 or early 2027, depending on the weather.’’
