56% Disapproval: Albanese Faces AI Backlash in His Own Seat

Anthony Albanese’s approval rating in his home electorate of Grayndler has dropped to a disapproval level of 56%, the highest since he took office, according to a recent Essential poll. The figure marks a turning point for the prime minister, who has held the Sydney inner west seat on a safe margin for three decades. The shift in sentiment is driven largely by local creatives reacting to a federal government proposal that would grant AI companies unrestricted access to Australian works by default.

The seat of Grayndler hosts more than 3,000 cultural and creative businesses. Ten percent of its workforce is employed in these fields, a concentration far higher than the 4.2% national average. Labor is currently weighing these copyright changes as part of a broader suite of reforms involving datacenters, energy, and the economy. The party is seeking a compromise with US tech giants, a move that has alarmed local industries who fear their work will be used to train models without compensation.

The controversy intensified in September when senior personnel from OpenAI met with Labor ministers. The company warned that existing copyright laws were preventing it from training models locally. Anthropic has suggested an opt-out model, which would allow it to scrape content unless a rightholder explicitly objected. Coalition senators and the recording industry have warned that this approach could amount to a government acquisition of private property.

Local businesses are pushing back against what they view as a one-sided deal. Pete Strong, a screenprinter and Greens councillor, described the current situation as a wild west gold rush. He stated that the proposal is an extraction industry mining for profit for the few. Strong, whose solar-powered sound systems are common in the area, said it is hard enough being a starving artist without having work taken and used in nefarious ways.

Lu Campbell-Smith, a designer and artist, called the opt-out requirement outrageous. She argued that Australia is being treated as a test market and a resource to be exploited. She questioned why anyone would post work online if it created free content for an AI machine. At Tortuga Studios in St Peters, H Morgan-Harris, a curator and director, warned that the creative ecosystem could be decimated. She noted that the conversation always comes back to money and that the artistic ecosystem is the bedrock of human connection.

Jason Zoidberg, co-founder of Monster Mouse Studios in Marrickville, said the AI industry has already stolen the collective labour of artists without consequence. He called it utterly crazy that the government was considering giving companies the green light to continue this practice. Zoidberg noted a surge in interest in traditional, hands-on art forms as a backlash against social media and AI, though he acknowledged this trend remains a niche bubble in the inner west.

The federal government’s draft laws are expected by the end of the year, with parliamentary consideration due in 2027. At the next federal election, Albanese will face a challenge from 28-year-old independent candidate Hannah Ferguson, co-founder of Cheek Media. No sitting member has lost their seat from such a large margin before, but polling suggests Albanese's popularity in Grayndler is waning.