AI resume ranking and the new automated decision transparency rules

Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads has gone live with AI-based resume ranking using what it describes as “human-controlled AI”.

AI ranking of applicants is already in use in Australian recruitment, and I'm seeing more organisations look at it.

From 10 December, organisations covered by the Privacy Act face new transparency requirements around automated decisions that significantly affect people.

Importantly, this isn't limited to software making the final decision. It can also apply where technology does something substantially and directly related to that decision.

That may apply if automated ranking changes who a recruiter actually considers.

If a recruiter only works from the top of the list, the ranking may have effectively determined who was in contention, even though a person made the actual hiring decision.

Working through hundreds of applications is a strong use case for AI, saving time and freeing up resources. Before putting it into production, I'd want to understand what the recruiter sees, whether lower-ranked candidates stay genuinely visible, and what evidence is kept of how the ranking influenced the process.

Having a human make the final decision may not, by itself, address the compliance requirement.