Governance

Minister

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (national coordinator).

How the laws define this

Both sources establish the Minister as an individual holding vested official authority and responsibility over artificial intelligence governance. However, they diverge significantly regarding which ministerial office holds this power and the scope of their explicit obligations. Under Statutory Instrument No. 366/2025, the title refers specifically to the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, who is designated as the national competent authority with a coordinating role and serves as the national single point of contact to liaise with the European Commission and other Member States under the AI Act. In contrast, the South Australia Appointment of Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy 2026 applies to an individual appointed to a dedicated portfolio of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy, with their exact authority and responsibility outlined within that specific decree.

Synthesised from the 2 statutory definitions below. Each one is quoted in full, with its source.

How jurisdictions differ

What is distinctive in each definition, binding law in force first.

Jurisdiction	Instrument	Status	What is distinctive
Ireland	Statutory Instrument No. 366/2025 — Designation of National Competent Authorities and Single Point of Contact for AI Act implementation	In Force	Designates the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment as the statutory national competent authority with a specific coordinating role and as the appointed single point of contact for EU AI Act liaison.
Australia	AI in Australia's interests	In Force	Limits the term to a non-binding policy appointment for the portfolio of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy without designating enforcement or coordination functions.

What it triggers

In Ireland, under Statutory Instrument No. 366/2025, the Minister is designated as the national competent authority with a coordinating role and appointed as the national single point of contact to liaise with the European Commission and other Member States under the AI Act.source
In Australia, the AI in Australia's interests framework sets out the authority and responsibility of the individual appointed to the portfolio of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy.source

Definitions (2)

Defined in the Regulations as the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment; designated as the national competent authority with a coordinating role and appointed national single point of contact to liaise with the European Commission and other Member States under the AI Act.

Statutory Instrument No. 366/2025 — Designation of National Competent Authorities and Single Point of Contact for AI Act implementationDefinition 1 of 2

The individual appointed to the portfolio of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy, vested with the authority and responsibility outlined in this decree.

South Australia Appointment of Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy 2026Definition 2 of 2

Not to be confused with

Single point of contact

The single point of contact is a role assigned to the Minister in definition [1] for EU coordination, whereas Minister is the specific officeholder.

National AI Office

A National AI Office is a central coordinating body, while Minister in [1] is the designated individual authority and in [2] a portfolio appointee.

Questions and answers

Who is the Minister for AI Act coordination in Ireland?

The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is designated as the national competent authority with a coordinating role and the single point of contact for the EU AI Act.

What responsibilities does the Australian AI Minister have?

The individual appointed to the portfolio of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy holds the authority and responsibility outlined in the AI in Australia's interests framework.

How does the Minister relate to the single point of contact?

In Ireland, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is appointed as the national single point of contact for AI Act liaison with the EU.