Meet Lara! Helping Council Residents Find Answers Anytime
Published on 17 June 2026
Looking for information about parking permits, waste collection, library services or development applications?
Lara, Woollahra Council’s new Virtual Assistant, is now live on the Council website, helping residents find information quickly, easily and anytime they need it.
Designed as a smarter way to search and access Council information online, Lara supports our customers by answering common questions, guiding them to the right webpages, documents and forms, and helping simplify everyday enquiries.
Manager of Customer Experience Anthony Crimmings explains:
"The launch of Lara, Woollahra’s virtual assistant, makes it easier for customers to get the information they need, anytime. Available 24/7, Lara can quickly answer common questions and help improve the overall customer experience."
A new way to access Council information
Powered by generative AI, Lara draws on published content across the Woollahra website to help customers find answers faster. Rather than searching through pages yourself, Lara can help connect you with the information you're looking for more quickly.
Lara is particularly useful for:
- General information and FAQs
- Self-service tasks such as finding forms, bookings and how-to guides
- After-hours enquiries
- Residents who prefer to look things up themselves online
Unlike a traditional web chat service, Lara is not a person behind a screen. She is an AI-powered web bot designed to provide information and guide residents to the right resources. While she can summarise and surface information quickly, she can’t understand emotions or replace situations where a human conversation is needed.
Available anywhere, anytime
One of Lara's biggest strengths is accessibility. She’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, helping residents access information outside of standard business hours and when it suits them. Since launching in February 2026, Lara has already supported more than 2,800 conversations with residents and staff. Around 40 per cent of conversations have taken place outside normal business hours, highlighting the value of having Council information available whenever residents need it - whether that's early in the morning, after work or on weekends.
Supporting everyday Council enquiries
So far, residents have mainly used Lara for practical, high-demand topics including:
- Development Applications
- Waste and bin services
- Parking permits
- Rates
- Library services
These are everyday Council services where people are often looking for quick answers or help completing a task.
We're also seeing encouraging early feedback from residents, suggesting they are finding the information they need quickly and moving on with confidence.
Still learning and improving
Like any new technology, Lara is still in training and won’t always get things perfect. As more residents use Lara, we're gaining valuable insights into the information people are looking for most often. These insights help us improve both Lara and the information available on our website, making it easier for everyone to find what they need online.
Your feedback is an important part of that process. You can help Lara improve by using the feedback feature in the chat and telling us about your experience. This feedback helps us continue refining Lara's responses and improving our website.
Supporting customer service, not replacing it
Lara is here to complement Council’s existing customer service channels, not replace them. Phone, email and face-to-face support remain essential, particularly for complex or sensitive enquiries where people need personal assistance. What Lara offers is another option: a faster, simpler way for residents to access information and complete straightforward tasks online.
As Lara continues to evolve, the focus will remain on improving online access to information and making it easier for residents to get what they need, wherever and whenever they need it.