Smart glasses to be banned from Aussie offices in world-leading ban
Smart glasses that can record people without them realising are in the federal government’s sights, with a ban now being considered for certain workplaces.
The potential crackdown comes as Anthony Albanese heads to the US, where AI and online harm will headline the agenda for UN High Level Week.
Smart glasses that can record people without them realising are in the federal government’s sights, with a ban now being considered for certain workplaces. Supplied
Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher has asked for advice on where recording-capable glasses could be banned across the Australian Public Service and Commonwealth workplaces.
“Smart glasses can raise legitimate privacy and security concerns, particularly because of their ability to record and capture information.
“We need clear and consistent guidance for public servants,” Gallagher said.
Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher. Dominic Lorrimer
The federal intervention follows a string of bans at pools and other public facilities, where fears about people being secretly filmed have already prompted councils to act.
Canterbury-Bankstown in Sydney became the latest this week, banning smart glasses at all five of its council-run leisure and aquatic centres.
Lord Mayor Bilal El-Hayek told councillors there were fears about “perverts and paedophiles secretly filming in change rooms, swimming pools and around schools”.
The government’s latest move is part of a wider AI push being unveiled as Albanese travels to the US. AP
Brisbane has already cracked down on covert filming at its 21 public pools, while Melbourne’s Yarra Council has banned smart glasses at leisure and aquatic facilities, childcare centres and playgrounds.
Randwick Council has also banned them at Sydney’s Des Renford Leisure Centre, where staff can ask anyone wearing smart glasses to remove them or leave.
People who need the technology for accessibility, including those with vision impairment, are exempt from some of the council bans.
The issue has also caught the federal government's attention outside the workplace.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland raised concerns about smart glasses last month, noting it can be difficult for people to tell when someone wearing them is recording.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has urged manufacturers to make recording more obvious and consider automatically blurring the faces of people captured by the devices.
The government’s latest move is part of a wider AI push being unveiled as Albanese travels to the US.
Back home, some of Australia’s biggest employers, including Commonwealth Bank, Microsoft, Telstra, and Kmart are coming together in Canberra to discuss how AI is used at work.
Some of Australia’s biggest employers are coming together in Canberra to discuss how AI is used at work. AP
Their experiences will feed into Australia’s first Best Practice Guidance for AI in workplaces, alongside consultations with unions, small businesses, employer groups and academics.
The government is also opening consultation on national AI standards, including rules covering large data centres and AI safety, security and transparency.
AI will also feature in the 2026 Intergenerational Report due to be released by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Monday.
It will look at what the technology could mean for jobs, productivity and investment over the next four decades.
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