Liberal Senator Jonathon Duniam has used his final speech in parliament to call for a proactive and urgent approach to artificial intelligence, saying Australia needs to “chart our course this year” in response.
The Shadow Home Affairs Minister had first announced his departure in June after a decade in federal politics and 25 years in public life.
Senator Duniam was given a standing ovation after his valedictory address on Wednesday evening, where he thanked his Tasmanian constituents, Coalition team and the nation.
Among his reflections on his time in parliament, Senator Duniam highlighted the coming threat of AI and insisted it was the nation’s most pressing issue.
“As I draw my time to a close as a member of this Parliament, we are presented with one of the most capacious opportunities I believe we will see in our lifetimes, and that is the rise and proliferation of artificial intelligence,” he said.
“It is coming, whether we like it or not, and to some extent, it is already here.
“The choice we have is whether we take the opportunity that AI is presenting on our terms, or have those terms dictated to us?
“It is my ardent belief that we, as a nation, must chart our course this year.”
Senator Duniam said Australia must lay down the framework to facilitate the best possible outcome for AI take up as an “national security imperative” but also to capitalise on possible economic opportunities.
“If we don’t get it right, we will not only miss the boat on enormous potential, but we will also be exposed to our adversaries, who will, with malevolent intent, take advantage and equip themselves with the power of AI,” he said.
“This is not a call for a blank check, but for a call to recognise the urgency to get this done on our terms.”
Senator Duniam had worked as deputy chair on a multi-partisan committee examining AI during his time in office.
At a press conference this week with committee Labor chair Jo Briskey, Senator Duniam was asked but denied that he was leaving to work in the AI sector, insisting he had no job lined up.
The 43-year-old was elected to the Senate in 2016 and then re-elected in 2022, and has held several portfolios including Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries and Regional Tourism and Industry Development.
His speech also mentioned the close friendships he has built across parliament, making special mention of his “Canberra family” in a sharehouse with Andrew Hastie and Matt O’Sullivan.
Senator Duniam described them as “brothers” that always had his back and helped him grow in “ways that are hard to describe”.
“Your godly counsel and friendship will remain a cornerstone for me in life well beyond Parliament,” he said.
Senator Duniam also quoted Bible passage Luke 12 “to whom much is given, much is expected” — applying it to the responsibilities of public office.
When he first announced his retirement, Senator Duniam said he wanted to spend more time with family at home.
During his speech he thanked his wife Anisa and the couple’s sons for the sacrifices they made during his political career, and said he was ready to devote more of his life to them.
“Along with my wife Anisa, my boys are the joy of my life. My family are the biggest blessing from God that any man could ever ask for,” he said.
“For 10 years, boys, I’ve been doing this. For 10 years, I’ve given this everything but I dedicate the rest of my life to supporting you, nurturing you, and helping you as you go onto your own adult lives.
People can choose to do what is comfortable forever, or they can challenge themselves and go on to do new and different things.
“Being able to contribute at all in public life for me would not have been possible without Anisa’s support.”
Senator Duniam ended his valedictory address by quoting his great-great grandfather, who had left his paid employment to create a farm in a then-new agriculture district in northwest Tasmania.
“He said, and I quote; ‘People said I would starve. I have not yet starved’,” Senator Duniam said.
“But people can choose to do what is comfortable forever, or they can challenge themselves and go on to do new and different things.
“Now, I don’t know what awaits me outside this chamber, but they do tell me that there is life after politics.
“Whatever it is, I’m very much looking forward to it. It’s time for me to go now.”
Mr Duniam will finish after the upcoming Senate Estimates weeks.
His departure will require a reshuffle of the shadow ministry.