DataPoints: March 2025 edition
Momentum for data sharing continues to build
We have seen 6 more requests from universities as well as Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies for health and disability data in February. We registered our fifth data sharing agreement, which will see admissions and other data relating to ACT hospitals added to the National Disability Data Asset (NDDA) – make a request here for data from the NDDA. This was the first data sharing agreement to be registered using our new short form data sharing agreement template. Feedback from the parties involved has been positive. Go to our register of data sharing agreements to find out more about data being shared under the Scheme.
We continue to observe instances where Australian Government agencies are taking longer than our recommended guidance to respond to data requests. A regulatory priority for us is monitoring and encouraging Australian Government agencies to respond to data requests in a timely manner.
DATA Scheme Activity
An additional 3 organisations onboarded to Dataplace in February, including the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. There are now 118 organisations that can request data using Dataplace and the Australian Government Data Catalogue.
Recognition of accreditation
Over the past several months, we put our accreditation process to the test. An independent review of the DATA Scheme’s Accreditation Framework was very positive, confirming the framework has satisfactory controls in place. CyberCX were also engaged to identify opportunities for improvement and found that accreditation provides ‘a robust level of assurance’.
Arrangements for Accredited Integrating Authorities sunset from July 2025. Beyond this period, entities wanting to provide complex data integration, de‑identification and/or secure data access services involving Australian Government data, must be accredited under the DATA Scheme.
We have recently renewed accreditation of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Bureau of Statistics as data service providers. We are working closely with the remaining 5 data service providers whose accreditation, unless renewed, expires in July 2025. You can view the register of accredited entities here.
Webinars - what's coming in March
In March we are hosting two webinars:
Making data sharing requests – Wednesday, 12 March at 10:00am AEDT
We will walk you through making a request for data through Dataplace. Register here.
Establishing a data sharing agreement – Wednesday, 26 March at 10:00am AEDT
An overview of data sharing agreement ‘must-haves’, including key privacy, ethics, and confidentiality advice. Register here.
Good reads for the data sharing community
Data and Digital Ministers met in February agreeing their priorities for 2025: delivering on Digital ID and verifiable credentials; leading reforms to intergovernmental data sharing; and better digital service delivery. Read the Communique here.
Western Australia’s Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing Act 2024 and Information Commissioner Act 2024 are now in play. They protect personal information, facilitate responsible sharing of government information and establish new office holders – a Chief Data Officer, Information Commissioner and Privacy Deputy Commissioner. Find out more here.
Good uses of public data
A recent report from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, Constructing families using administrative data, presents a novel method for constructing family households in PLIDA using person level datasets that are refreshed quarterly. The report’s findings have application beyond PLIDA and administrative data, addressing issues like defining and categorising families when conducting research. DataLab users can access, use, and modify the code for their own projects via the Code Sharing Library in the PLIDA Modular Product (PMP) Portal.
Get in touch
If you have feedback or something to share in future editions of DataPoints, please get in touch. We are always interested to hear your stories, including how you have used data to deliver public benefit. Also, make sure to follow us on LinkedIn!
Gayle