Merri-bek Councils secret AI plan exposed

22 June 2026

The ASU have recently uncovered a secret plan by Council management to implement their ‘AI Roadmap development’ plan developed by consultants to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the Merri-bek Council workplace and delivery of community services.

The ASU understands during the period March to May 2026 Council management secretly met with consultants on multiple occasions to participate in workshops to develop a Roadmap to the introduction of AI into the Council’s work systems. The consultants also prepared a briefing paper for Officers titled ‘’AI Pilot Project Options Paper’’ (March 2026).

The ASU is concerned that this roadmap is intended to replace key job functions and ultimately jobs from customer service, planning, policy development, rates and legislative interpretation.

In the first 6 months, the roadmap outlines ‘quick wins’ that includes the automation of translation and multilingual communication including translation of Council communications and notices, which we can only assume includes formal regulatory notices.

The roadmap proposes that in the next 6–18 month period, it would build a platform to undertake compliance checks against zone, building codes and overlays and undertake infrastructure condition assessment utilizing drone footage and analyse budget performance. Most alarmingly, even community consultation will be automated with the platform to undertake ‘community sentiment analysis including reviewing submissions and surveys.

The longer-term plans over the next 2-3 years indicates options to undertake ‘AI assisted town planning’ that would ‘model the impact of planning decisions on traffic, amenity and environment ‘and ‘environmental monitoring’ including ‘urban heat mapping, flood prediction, air quality and biodiversity tracking’.

These tasks are key job functions done by workers. This plan threatens the jobs of a large skilled workforce at Merri-bek City Council.

The ASU have urgently written to councillors ahead of tonight’s budget meeting requesting an urgent public explanation of Council management’s intentions to implement the AI roadmap, and to seek urgent information and consultation with workers, their unions and the community about the AI projects funded in the draft budget to be voted on tonight.

You can read our letter here.