What we automate
We build AI for government systems that integrate with the operational reality of Australian government and defence businesses. Common workflows we automate end-to-end:
- FOI request triage and response drafting
- Submission and briefing pack drafting from source material
- Compliance and audit reporting
- Citizen service automation and routing
- Document classification and registry management
- Procurement and tender drafting assistance
- Internal knowledge retrieval (RAG over policy and precedent)
Built for the realities of government and defence
IRAP-assessed and sovereign-cloud requirements apply to many workloads.
Classification and data handling have strict rules; some workloads must run on-premise or in protected enclaves.
Procurement processes are slow and structured; build approach has to fit them.
Auditability and explainability are non-negotiable for public-sector decisions.
Why work with us on AI for government
AI for government work that respects Australian classification requirements, IRAP frameworks, and the realities of public-sector procurement. Built for transparency and audit, not black-box output.
Where most AI in government defence goes wrong
Most government and defence AI engagements in Australia stall at the IRAP assessment because the architecture was designed for commercial deployment and retrofitted for classification. The fragmented patterns we see: AI deployed against vendor regions outside Australia, evidence trails produced after-the-fact and inadequate for ISM control mapping, classification handling not designed in from week one, identity model that doesn't integrate with the agency's existing PSPF-aligned access controls, "AI for {department}" that doesn't acknowledge the cross-departmental data sovereignty constraints, and AI workflows that route through third-party SaaS components without sovereign risk assessment. Government AI has long approval cycles and high audit scrutiny. Fragmented delivery shows up in those reviews and produces multi-month remediation cycles.
Systems we integrate against
Government and defence AI engagements integrate against department-specific systems: TechnologyOne for finance and HR in many AU agencies, SAP S/4HANA in larger departments, OpenText and Objective for records management, SharePoint Online for collaboration (in the appropriate tenancy), Microsoft Dynamics 365 for case management, Salesforce Government Cloud (where applicable), GIS platforms (Esri ArcGIS in government tenancy), and defence-specific platforms. Identity is commonly Entra ID government tenancy. PSPF-aligned access scoping (OFFICIAL through PROTECTED) layered on top. Cross-agency data sharing under the Data Availability and Transparency Act adds another integration dimension.
If your stack isn't listed above, reach out anyway. The systems vary by industry but the integration patterns don't. We can usually work with whatever you're running. Tell us your stack.
Regulatory and compliance landscape
The AU government and defence regulatory stack: PSPF (Protective Security Policy Framework) for non-corporate Commonwealth entities, ISM (Information Security Manual) controls evaluated by IRAP assessors, Essential Eight maturity model (ML2 baseline, ML3 for higher-risk entities), Data Availability and Transparency Act for cross-agency sharing, Public Service Act for personnel obligations, DISP (Defence Industry Security Program) for defence contractors, SOCI Act for critical infrastructure designations, ITAR and EAR considerations for capability that touches US-origin defence technology, and various agency-specific obligations. We design AI deployments against this stack with explicit IRAP-assessment-readiness from the architecture phase. See sovereign AI Australia for the full pattern breakdown.
Operational outcomes we move
Defensible outcomes we have moved on government and defence engagements: FOI request triage and response-drafting cycle time reduced; briefing-paper preparation time compressed through cross-system synthesis grounded in agency knowledge bases; policy-development evidence gathering accelerated; capability documentation production rate increased while preserving classification handling; cross-agency referral routing reduced from days to hours; audit and compliance evidence overhead reduced. Government AI value is measured in caseload-per-officer, time-to-decision, and audit-finding reduction. We design and measure against those.
Common deployment patterns
Common deployment patterns for AU government and defence: open-weight models in IRAP-assessed sovereign cloud (AWS sovereign regions, Azure Australia Central with current PROTECTED IRAP, Vault Cloud) for PROTECTED workloads; commercial AU-region endpoints (Azure OpenAI Australia East, Bedrock ap-southeast-2) for OFFICIAL workloads with verified enterprise terms; identity-aware retrieval over departmental document stores with PSPF-aligned access scoping; FOI triage agents grounded in your existing FOI register and precedent library; briefing-paper drafting agents that work against approved-source content only. Engaged through DISP-cleared primaries for defence work where required.
Related Bedstone services
Government and defence engagements typically pair this work with sovereign AI deployment for Australia, IRAP-aware infrastructure, security audits, and penetration testing for deployed systems. Or look at Bedstone OS for an internal AI workspace built to your classification and audit requirements.
How we engage
Five-step delivery, scoped to fit. Audit, scope sprint, proof of concept, verification, rollout. Wrapped as a fixed-scope sprint, monthly retainer, fractional engagement, or one-off audit. See services for the full process and commercial structures.
Common questions about AI for government
Can you work on classified or protected workloads?
Yes, with the appropriate clearances and infrastructure. Some workloads require IRAP-assessed cloud or on-premise deployment; we design with those constraints from the audit phase.
Do you work with state, federal, or local government?
All three. State and local agencies often have faster engagement paths; federal engagements typically require panel arrangements or specific procurement vehicles.
How do you handle data sovereignty?
AU data stays in AU. Where workloads require sovereign cloud, we design for it. Where on-premise is required, we deploy accordingly.
Is this work eligible for R&D Tax Incentive?
The R&D Tax Incentive does not generally apply to government grant-funded work, but commercial subcontract work may qualify depending on structure.
Across Australia
We work with government and defence operators across the country. See city-specific context: AI agency Australia, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth.