How we use artificial intelligence
The Shire uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help staff, improve access to information and support some services. AI can help us prepare drafts, organise information and answer common questions.
We remain responsible for our services and decisions. AI can make mistakes or give incomplete or misleading information. Staff are required to check AI content before using it in their work and endeavour to detect errors, though some errors may not be identified.
Our rules require meaningful human review when AI influences decisions affecting people. An authorised staff member remains responsible for decisions affecting your rights, entitlements or access to services.
Within approved uses, AI can help with:
- staff work, such as drafting, summarising and organising information
- common customer questions and finding Shire information
- planning enquiries, by guiding people through questions and preparing information for a planner to review
- analysis and recommendations, where the use has been assessed and a responsible staff member checks the result
- meeting notes and summaries, where the content is suitable, participants are informed and give consent, and staff check the record.
The public AI register below describes individual tools and their limits.
Our rules set these limits:
- We endeavour to ensure AI does not independently make decisions affecting legal rights, entitlements or access to Shire services.
- Our policy requires that significant decisions are not made solely on the basis of AI-generated outputs, and that staff exercise independent judgement rather than assuming AI-generated information is accurate, complete or authoritative.
- We take reasonable steps to prevent the use of AI designed to deceive or manipulate people, or discriminate against protected groups.
- We do not allow AI surveillance or facial recognition without legal authority and appropriate community consultation.
- Staff must not enter personal, sensitive or Shire confidential information into public AI tools.
- AI does not remove the responsibilities of our staff, contractors or decision-makers.
Our AI Policy and AI Governance Framework set the rules for using AI across the Shire. We assess proposed uses according to their likely effect on people and services. Uses with greater impact need stronger review, approval, monitoring and human oversight.
We record AI systems and significant uses in our internal AI Register. The public register below provides a summary for the community.
Our use of AI follows eight principles:
- Human, societal and environmental wellbeing: AI should benefit the community and avoid foreseeable harm, including harm to the environment.
- Human-centred values: AI should respect human rights, people's choices and dignity.
- Fairness: We review AI systems and their results for unfair bias and discrimination as part of our ongoing governance processes.
- Privacy and security: We use information lawfully, limit it to what is needed and protect it throughout the system's life.
- Reliability and safety: AI systems should be tested, monitored and used within their approved purpose and known limits.
- Transparency and explainability: People should know when they are interacting with AI and understand how it contributed to an outcome affecting them.
- Contestability: People may request review of outcomes involving AI, subject to our applicable policies, processes and legal requirements.
- Accountability: An authorised person remains responsible for each service, output and decision involving AI.
Our privacy, information security and recordkeeping rules apply to AI, just as they apply to other Shire systems. We must use only the information needed for an approved purpose.
Personal or sensitive information can only be processed for a lawful Shire purpose. Its use must be consistent with why we collected it. The required assessments and protections must also be in place.
AI tools covered by enterprise agreements offer stronger protections than public AI tools. These protections do not remove our privacy responsibilities or allow unrestricted use of information.
We treat information AI produces about an identifiable person as personal information, even if it is incorrect. When we adopt AI content into our work, our business, privacy and recordkeeping rules apply.
Read more on our Privacy page.
We tell you when you are interacting directly with AI. We also identify AI-generated content in public communications and disclose when AI significantly shapes an output or recommendation, in accordance with our internal assessment and governance processes.
You can ask for human help where an AI service offers that option. AI services can make mistakes, so contact us if you need help understanding or checking an answer.
If AI helped inform a decision affecting you, you can ask how it was used and request human review. Our existing review and complaints processes apply.
Use our Contact us page to ask a question. We assess concerns and refer them to the relevant service, privacy, information security or governance team when needed.
This register provides a short public summary of the main AI tools used by Mornington Peninsula Shire. It explains what each tool is used for and the key controls or limits that apply.
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Helps staff draft, summarise, analyse and organise work information.
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Staff must check outputs before use. It is not used as the sole basis for decisions affecting a person, and privacy and records obligations still apply.
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Assists licensed staff within Microsoft 365 apps to draft, summarise and organise work content.
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Access is limited to licensed staff and information they are authorised to use. Staff remain responsible for checking outputs and meeting privacy, security and records requirements.
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Answers common website questions and helps direct people to Council information or staff support.
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The service is limited to approved topics and website information, uses Council information and provides a path to human assistance. It does not make decisions about rights, entitlements or access to services.
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Guides users through a structured planning enquiry and produces information that can be reviewed by a Council planner.
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The tool supports information and guidance only. It does not determine a planning application or replace formal Council advice or planner review.
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The public register should be updated when a system is introduced, materially changed, reclassified or retired. The public entries should be reconciled with the internal AI Register as part of each system’s periodic review. Public-facing systems should also identify their use of AI at the point where a person interacts with them.
We reserve the right to update or amend this AI policy and transparency statement without notice, in accordance with applicable legal and governance requirements.