The Australian Council of Trade Unions has fired a warning shot at employers across the country. Introduce AI without consulting your workers, and expect a coordinated union response. AI tools are already being rolled out across the Queensland public service, and your union has been fighting to make sure you have a genuine say in how that happens. Your right to be consulted Australian employers have a legal obligation to consult with workers and their representatives as soon as a decision is made to introduce AI and before it is implemented. This is not optional. Where AI is likely to change your job or how you do it, your employer must engage with you transparently. Many enterprise agreements, including those covering Queensland public servants, contain consultation clauses that go further than the legal minimum. Many current agreements require employers to consult through Agency Consultative Committees when making decisions about technology that could significantly affect employees. This includes changes to job roles, skill requirements and the way work is performed. The problem is that these protections are general. They were written before generative AI tools like QChat started appearing on government desktops. The Future is Now In mid-2025, Together launched The Future is Now campaign with a clear goal: to embed specific, enforceable AI safeguards into your next enterprise agreement. Over 250 delegates backed this push at the June 2025 Delegate Convention in Brisbane. The campaign focuses on four demands: clear principles governing AI use, mandatory consultation before AI tools are deployed, proper training so workers can use these tools effectively, and protections written directly into workplace agreements rather than left to management discretion. This is not about stopping technology. As Branch Secretary Alex Scott put it, AI could help restore work-life balance by easing pressure on frontline staff. But those gains will not happen without consultation, training and safeguards that you can actually enforce. Why this matters now The Queensland Audit Office found that QChat, the government's internal AI assistant, was deployed without adequate ethical safeguards or assessment processes. Over 383,000 conversations have already taken place across the public service and yet workers were not meaningfully consulted. That is exactly the kind of unilateral rollout your union is pushing back against. Enterprise bargaining is underway right now, and AI protections are on the table. What you can do Our campaign only works if members are involved. Talk to your colleagues about AI in your workplace. Report AI tools being introduced without consultation to your delegate or organiser. Complete your Union's AI survey if you have not already and stay engaged with bargaining updates as negotiations continue. The ACTU has made clear that unions nationally will respond to employers who ignore their obligations. In Queensland, your Union is turning that commitment into concrete protections. But we need your help. If you are not currently a member of your Union, now is the time to join. When workers stand together, they win.
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