What the new Australian National AI Plan means for Women, Girls, and Regional Australia (like my hometown, Tasmania)
Dec 04, 2025
If your feed is alive and buzzing like mine this week, you will know Australia’s National AI Plan 2025 has just been rolled out. It has been touted not just a tech policy, but as a social and economic strategy. And if you read between the lines, like I did you’ll notice something remarkable:
It names women. It prioritises inclusion. It calls out regional and remote communities.
This is exciting. The Government is ensuring people feel seen, heard and valued. As someone who grew up in Tasmania and has worked across frontier tech, policy, and inclusion for years, I want to share the top insights I found, especially for women, girls, and those outside the major cities.
For Girls and Women: A Seat at Every AI Table
The plan clearly recognises that AI could widen existing gender gaps, unless we design against it.
Here’s what I found encouraging:
Digital and AI literacy uplift: Women and girls are recognised as a key cohort for digital upskilling, across schools, TAFE, universities, and mid-career transitions.
AI in the workplace must be fair: Hiring, rostering and performance tools powered by AI will need transparency, oversight, and protections against bias.
More women in AI leadership: From product design to policy and governance, the plan explicitly calls for more women to shape how AI is built and deployed.
AI harms = gendered harms: Deepfakes, non-consensual nudify apps, and algorithmic abuse disproportionately impact women. These will be criminalised and regulated.
In short: inclusion isn’t a footnote. It’s in the blueprint. I just love this!
For Regional and Remote Communities: No More Digital Postcode Divide
As someone who regularly speaks with founders and young people in Tasmania (alongside my own lived experience), I know how real the access gap is. The National AI Plan doesn’t shy away from this either.
Here’s what stood out to me:
Only 29% of regional organisations use AI, compared to 40% in metropolitan areas. That’s a significant gap, and the plan includes dedicated AI adoption support through programs like the NAIC’s AI Adopt.
Connectivity: The plan backs improved NBN, fibre, mobile, and satellite coverage so every town and region can access AI tools, whether it’s for farming, tourism, education or emergency response.
AI training where people live: Microcredentials via TAFE, sector-specific training through Jobs & Skills Councils, and tailored pathways for industries like agriculture and manufacturing.
Local AI use cases are highlighted too: Think AI drones in Kakadu wetlands, or ghost net detection in the Tiwi Islands. Tasmania can be a hub for ethical, nature-aligned AI projects.
Presenting at IWD 2024 in Hobart, Tasmania for TasICT
The Bigger Picture
What I appreciate most is that this is not just a technology strategy, it’s a fairness strategy.
It treats AI as infrastructure.
It centres people, not just products.
It recognises that inclusion is critical for national resilience.
If implemented well, this plan could help rewrite what opportunity looks like for a young girl in Launceston, a woman retraining at 45, or an entrepreneur building tech in Burnie.
Let’s not leave it up to chance.
by Amanda Johnstone.
About Amanda Johnstone:
Amanda Johnstone is a globally recognised AI technologist and futurist keynote speaker trusted by Fortune 500 companies, governments and world leaders to decode, design, and deploy AI that puts people first.
She’s a TIME Next Generation Leader, a Linkedin Top Voice of AI and CEO Magazine Startup Executive of the Year, with two decades as an authority on impact and the future of technology.
