AI transparency statement template and generator

An AI transparency statement tells the public how an organisation uses artificial intelligence and how it keeps that use safe and accountable. Australian Government agencies covered by the Digital Transformation Agency's (DTA) Policy for the responsible use of AI in government must publish one. This free AI transparency statement template asks for each item the DTA's Standard for AI transparency statements requires, then turns your answers into a plain-language statement you can edit and publish.

Who must publish an AI transparency statement#

Version 2.0 of the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government took effect on 15 December 2025, replacing version 1.1, which had applied from 1 September 2024. The DTA says the requirement to publish a transparency statement first took effect on 28 February 2025.

• Must comply: all non-corporate Commonwealth entities, as defined by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
• Encouraged: corporate Commonwealth entities.
• Not covered: AI use in the defence portfolio and by the national intelligence community, although they may voluntarily adopt parts of the policy.

What the DTA standard requires#

Version 2.0 of the Standard for AI transparency statements (December 2025) says that, at a minimum, a statement must cover:

1. why the agency uses AI, or is considering it
2. its use of AI classified by usage pattern and domain
3. any use where the public may directly interact with, or be significantly impacted by, AI or its outputs without human review
4. how it monitors the effectiveness of deployed AI systems and protects the public against negative impacts
5. an overview of compliance with the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government
6. compliance with applicable legislation and regulation
7. when the statement was most recently updated.

Statements must use clear, plain language that avoids technical jargon and is consistent with the Australian Government Style Manual, and must provide or point to a contact email for public enquiries. Agencies don't have to list individual use cases, but they can add more detail if it helps explain their approach. The generator follows these seven items in order and adds the contact details.

Usage patterns and domains#

Agencies must list every usage pattern and domain that applies to them, and should link to the DTA's classification system for AI use. The generator includes that link for you.

The six domains are service delivery; compliance and fraud detection; law enforcement, intelligence and security; policy and legal; scientific; and corporate and enabling.

Publishing and update rules#

• Publish the statement on your public-facing website. The DTA recommends linking to it from a global menu, as many agencies do for their privacy policy.
• Review and update it at least once a year, when you make a significant change to your approach to AI, and when any new factor materially affects its accuracy.
• Email the DTA at ai@dta.gov.au with a link each time you publish or update it.

Filling in the compliance section#

The statement needs an overview of how you meet the policy. Version 2.0 has these mandatory requirements, and the generator lets you mark each as in place, in progress or left out:

• Accountable officials, designated under the DTA's Standard for accountability, with the DTA notified.
• A strategic position on AI adoption, within 6 months of the policy taking effect.
• An approach to embed responsible AI practices, including ways for staff and the public to report AI safety concerns, within 12 months.
• Accountable use case owners and an internal register of in-scope AI use cases within 12 months, with the register shared with the DTA every 6 months.
• Mandatory staff training on responsible AI use within 12 months.
• AI use case impact assessments: agencies must begin assessing new use cases within 12 months, and bring existing use cases into line by 30 April 2027.

Only mark something as in place if it is. An honest "in progress" is better than a statement you have to correct later.

Using this template outside the Commonwealth#

Councils, state and territory agencies, universities and businesses don't have to follow the DTA standard, but its structure works well for a voluntary statement. Choose your organisation type in the form and the wording changes to describe the policy as something you have followed voluntarily. The National AI Centre's Guidance for AI Adoption also recommends making it standard practice to disclose your use of AI, especially where AI makes or influences decisions, generates content that can meaningfully affect people, or could be mistaken for a human.

If you need an internal policy to sit behind your statement, start with the AI policy generator. If you use computer programs to make or help make significant decisions about people using their personal information, the Privacy Act will also require privacy policy disclosures from 10 December 2026 for organisations it covers. The automated decision-making privacy policy generator drafts that wording.