Albanese puts cyber safety at heart of bid for UN Security Council seat

September 17, 2026 — 10:00pmAustralia will put technology and online safety at the heart of its campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council as Anthony Albanese prepares to argue that cyberattacks, artificial intelligence and digital threats are becoming matters of international peace and security.The prime minister will travel to New York on Friday to launch the government’s formal campaign for a two-year term on the Security Council in 2029-30, with Australia seeking to turn its record on digital safety into a diplomatic selling point.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet Apple executive chairman Tim Cook on his US trip. Alex EllinghausenAlbanese will also visit Apple’s California headquarters at the weekend, when he meets board executive chairman Tim Cook to discuss new parental controls for children, partly inspired by Australia’s social media reforms.The government also confirmed he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN, where the pair are expected to announce a bilateral security agreement.The government will argue that rapidly evolving threats involving artificial intelligence, cyberspace and online safety will increasingly intersect with international peace and security by the time Australia takes its seat.Ahead of the 2028 vote, Albanese will co-lead high-level discussions on technology safety alongside international leaders at the UN General Assembly. He will promote Australia’s commitment to multilateralism and work with international partners on what the government describes as shared challenges, including building a safe digital future.The federal government is also preparing a sweeping new push to shape Australia’s response to artificial intelligence, with tougher rules for AI infrastructure and possible restrictions on recording smart glasses in Commonwealth workplaces. On Friday, it will open public consultation on the development of Australia’s AI standards, covering data centres, energy, water use, safety and transparency.Albanese will point to Australia’s previous term a temporary member of the Security Council, including its role during the international response to the MH17 disaster, as evidence of the influence middle powers can wield at the top diplomatic table.Albanese emphasised the need to secure the economic and national security advantages of artificial intelligence while safeguarding Australia’s national interests.He added: “Now to do that, we have to be engaged with our friends in the United States, because the two big countries that are engaged, of course, are the United States and China in what is this extraordinary emerging technology that will change the way that society functions over our lifetime, but over the next decade.”Australia and Finland are so far uncontested for the two positions for the Western Europe and Others Group; however, the campaign will require a two-thirds majority of the UN General Assembly.Beyond technology, the government’s campaign will focus on middle-power diplomacy, climate action and support for Pacific neighbours, as well as stronger protections for international humanitarian personnel.Albanese will deliver Australia’s National Statement during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, where he will also discuss fuel costs, climate change and conflict.“Australia’s prosperity and security depend on a strong global system, where nations worktogether, agreed rules are respected, and cooperation delivers shared benefits,” he said.“Australia is working to prevent online harm, particularly for our children, and I am proud thatAustralia is setting the world standard for digital safety.”Albanese will also receive an Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award during the New York visit, alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Formula One president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali and star of Wicked, Cynthia Erivo.Wicked star Cynthia Erivo will also receive a Global Citizen award. The awards will be presented at a dinner on September 23 during UN General Assembly week, with more than 700 senior government and business figures, military, media and civil society leaders expected to attend.Atlantic Council president and chief executive Frederick Kempe said Albanese had embraced the challenges of the 21st century, describing him as pursuing a more resilient and forward-looking Australia while building strategic partnerships and reinforcing the country’s international engagement and role as a democratic voice in the Pacific.Foreign Minister Penny Wong will join Albanese in New York, promoting Australia’s work to build coalitions for the protection of aid workers and strengthen the international rules Canberra relies on for its security and prosperity.Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.From our partners