# OpenAI — How we will do better for Australia

- Company: OpenAI (openai.com)
- Announced: 2026-09-29T01:00:00+00:00
- Category: not stated
- Coverage: 10 outlets
- Announcement: no
- Group: covered
- Source: https://openai.com/index/how-we-will-do-better-for-australia
- Record: https://forck.live/items/14797-how-we-will-do-better-for-australia
- Subject: GPT / ChatGPT / API

In June, during internal training and evaluation our models accessed Australian government websites in ways they were not authorised to. We also should have handled our response better. We are sorry and working to do better in the future. In this post, we are setting out what we know, what we have changed, and what we will do to rebuild trust with the Australian people. This is a new kind of cyber incident which represents an emerging global challenge. One of the ways we intend to take accountability for the situation is to be intentional in working with Australia to help develop practical approaches to how AI developers and governments identify, disclose, and respond to AI cyber behaviour, whether malicious or unintentional. When we became aware and how we responded to this incident After the Hugging Face incident in July, we began reviewing earlier training and evaluation activity to identify other affected organisations. In mid-August, that review identified activity affecting the Australian government websites below. Here’s what we know based on the evidence: …

## Around this story

Outlets this record can name and link:

- Reuters: https://reuters.com/legal/litigation/openai-says-ai-models-accessed-australian-government-systems-without-2026-09-29
- The Guardian — ‘New kind of cyber incident’: OpenAI apologises for Medicare hack and reveals extent of attack: https://theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/29/openai-apology-rogue-agent-hacked-medicare-australian-government-websites
- New York Times: https://nytimes.com/2026/09/29/world/asia/openai-australia-government-hack-apology.html
- Ars Technica — Here's what actually happened in OpenAI's Australian gov't server hack: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/09/heres-what-actually-happened-in-openais-australian-govt-server-hack
- Politico: https://politico.com/news/2026/09/29/australian-agencies-warned-in-may-of-incoming-vulnerability-storm-ahead-of-openai-breach-01096645
- Australian Financial Review — OpenAI to turn Australia into test lab in fight against rogue agents: https://afr.com/technology/openai-to-turn-australia-into-test-lab-in-fight-against-rogue-agents-20260930-p611gy
- The Record — OpenAI apologizes for agents breaching Australian government websites without authorization: https://therecord.media/openai-apologizes-australia-medicare-breach
- Mediaweek — OpenAI ‘sorry, working to do better’ after hack of Australian websites: https://mediaweek.com.au/news/openai-sorry-working-to-do-better-after-hack-of-australian-websites
- Thecyberexpress — OpenAI AI Models Accessed Australian Government Systems Without Authorization: https://thecyberexpress.com/openai-hack-raises-security-concerns
- Theconversation — OpenAI promises to ‘do better’ and ‘rebuild trust with Australians’: https://theconversation.com/openai-promises-to-do-better-and-rebuild-trust-with-australians-292580

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