Introduction
This Transparency Statement is produced in accordance with the Digital Transformation Agency's Policy for responsible use of AI in government.
The Department of the Senate provides the secretariat to the Australian Senate – enabling its legislative and accountability activities – and to dozens of parliamentary committees, whose work encompasses the Senate's scrutiny functions and its exercise of Parliament's broad investigative powers.
We use ICT provided by the Department of Parliamentary Services under a memorandum of understanding. DPS is committed to responsible and ethical use of AI technologies, and this Transparency Statement should be read in conjunction with the
DPS AI Transparency Statement and the broader Commonwealth direction and
Parliament of Australia Digital Strategy 2023-2027.
AI adoption and use
We are committed to continuous learning and adaptation, and to using the best possible tools for our work supporting the Senate. We are conscious of the need for AI strategies to evolve alongside the changing needs of the Senate, technological advancements and legislative or regulatory changes. Many aspects of our work require reliable ICT systems that allow staff to receive, share, analyse, collaborate on, and publish information at scale. The advent of standalone AI products, and the introduction of AI functions into mainstream applications, will no doubt change how we approach some of these tasks. We are also conscious of the risks involved, particularly given the need to ensure the veracity of the material we produce. For these reasons, we will be cautious in our adoption of AI tools and strategies in support of the department's aims.
Like other non-corporate Commonwealth entities, our approach to the use of AI is guided by
How we use AI
In line with the Digital Transformation Agency and Australian Government Architecture, and the Department's ICT provider, DPS, we have adopted the OECD definition of what constitutes artificial intelligence.
We currently use AI on a limited basis via that embedded in Microsoft products available through the Parliamentary Computing Network, as provided by DPS.
Non-Microsoft AI tools are available through the PCN via browsers accompanied by a splash screen warning users about the risks presented by AI.
From 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024, we participated in the Australian Government's trials of a generative AI service, Microsoft 365 Copilot.
In considering the use of AI tools in the future, we will have regard to best practice guidance, government ethical and legal frameworks, and consider the appropriateness of the use of AI in its work.
The table below shows the use, by the Department of the Senate, of AI based on the DTA classification system. Through DPS, we use AI as part of assistive technologies, specifically to generate captions and support website accessibility.
|
Usage patterns |
| Domains |
Decision making and administrative action |
Analytics for insights |
Workplace productivity |
Image processing |
| Service delivery |
|
Internal use |
Internal use |
|
| Compliance and fraud detection |
|
Internal use |
|
|
| Corporate and enabling |
|
Internal use |
Internal use |
|
| Legal enforcement, intelligence and security |
|
|
|
|
| Policy and legal |
|
|
|
|
| Scientific |
|
|
|
|
Governance
We, in conjunction with the other parliamentary departments, will meet the requirements of DTA's policy for the responsible use of AI through a shared responsibility model.
This model recognises that:
- each organisation is independent, but shares a common service provider (DPS) who provides the core ICT services for the Parliament, and
- the use of AI by an individual or group within the parliament may impact other individuals, groups, organisations or the parliament as a whole; therefore, collaboration is essential.
The shared responsibility model is managed by an AI working group composed of representatives from the parliamentary departments and coordinated by DPS ICT.
The AI working group is responsible for:
- meeting DTA requirements,
- building AI maturity, and
- maintaining a central register of AI use cases for the parliamentary departments.
Public interaction and AI
The Department of the Senate does not currently use AI where the public may directly interact with or be significantly impacted by it.
Monitoring and risk management
The department endorses and supports DPS' use of the Commonwealth AI assurance framework to encourage the safe and ethical use of AI in the PCN environment. On behalf of the parliamentary departments, DPS monitors, logs and reports on the use of DPS managed AI solutions and third-party AI.
We have adopted a cautious approach to the implementation of AI tools and maintain a watching brief on AI developments and the public debate around its use. Email and/or intranet updates are issued in response to AI developments that may pose a risk, such as the February 2025 requirement that DeepSeek not be used on government devices.
The risks raised by AI use are also addressed in our risk matrix which is regularly updated by the executive and provided to the external audit committee.
We will, through the Accountable Official and the working group, work with DPS to undertake all requirements of monitoring application use, undertaking testing, assessing the effectiveness of any applications, and monitoring for unintended outcomes from application use.
Training and education
In partnership with DPS, we are committed to ensuring that any future use of AI by our staff will be supported with the appropriate training, including the ethical and legal considerations around the use of AI technology.
To this end, DPS will make AI fundamentals training available to the staff of the parliamentary departments. Our staff will be strongly encouraged to complete the training at the first available opportunity.
Compliance
We will only utilise AI services in accordance with applicable legislation, regulations, frameworks and policies described above.
Accountable Official
The Clerk Assistant (Table) has been designated the Accountable Official responsible for the department's implementation of the DTA policy.
Review and updates
This Transparency Statement will be reviewed annually or when significant changes to the use or governance of AI use occur. This statement was last updated on 21 February 2025.
Contact
For further information about the use of AI within the Department of the Senate, please contact spio@aph.gov.au