Council recognised as finalist for AI innovation
TL;DR
Gannawarra Shire Council is a finalist in a state innovation award for its use of AI in gender impact assessments.
Location
Gannawarra
Council recognised as finalist for AI innovation
Gannawarra Shire Council has been recognised as a finalist in the 2026 Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) MAVlab Innovation Awards for its transformative use of artificial intelligence to streamline Gender Impact Assessments (GIAs) across the organisation.
Council's project,
From Compliance to Insight: AI-Powered Gender Impact Assessments
, is a finalist in the Skilled to Serve Award for Capability Uplift, which recognises initiatives that strengthen council capability and improve service delivery.
Developed internally through collaboration between Council's Community Wellbeing, Infrastructure, and ICT teams, the innovative approach uses artificial intelligence to streamline the preparation of GIAs, a requirement under the
Gender Equality Act 2020
. What was once a time-intensive process can now be completed in seconds, helping staff embed gender equality considerations into policies, programs and services more consistently and effectively.
"This recognition demonstrates how rural councils can harness emerging technologies to improve outcomes, strengthen organisational capability and deliver better services for their communities," Council Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Rollinson said.
"As a rural Council we are embracing innovative solutions. Our AI-enabled Gender Impact Assessment process has transformed a traditionally resource-intensive compliance task into a strategic decision-making tool. It strengthens the quality and consistency of assessments to support informed and evidence-based decision making across the organisation," Council's Director Infrastructure and Development, Wade Williams said.
The project has already been applied to major initiatives, including the
Gannawarra Shire 2025-2029 Council Plan
, Council's Community Engagement Strategy 2025-2030, financial policies and Gannawarra Library Service planning.
Developed within six weeks and requiring no additional project budget, the model demonstrates how rural councils can leverage technology to improve outcomes, strengthen organisational capability and deliver efficiencies.
The MAV received 140 nominations from 36 councils across 13 award categories, highlighting the significance of Council's achievement.
Award winners will be announced at the MAVlab Innovation Awards ceremony at Fitzroy Town Hall on Thursday, 17 September.
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