Govt to establish national data commissioner

The federal government will create a new national data commissioner to oversee the implementation of a simpler and more efficient data sharing and release framework within government.

The new office will be created as part of a $65 million overhaul of the government’s data handling practices, as recommended by a recent Productivity Commission report.

The commissioner will also work with the Privacy Commissioner to ensure that protection of individual privacy is maintained under the new sharing arrangements.

A new National Data Advisory Council will meanwhile be established to assist the commissioner in its oversight role. The council will consult with community groups and will provide advice on ethical data use, technical best practice and the latest industry and international developments.

Accredited data authorities will also be established to determine which data sets are made public as well as who will be able to access them. The ABS will provide guidance in this area.

According to the Productivity Commission report, unnecessary barriers to data access are stifling innovation, competition, development and research opportunities that could benefit all Australians.

It identified more than 500 regulations and secrecy provisions inhibiting agencies from using and releasing data, leading to many agencies adopting a default “no” position for data access requests, even when those requests came from another environment department.

The data commissioner will seek to simplify data sharing arrangements in a way that will safeguard individual privacy, while improving transparency around government policy.

Separately, the government has also released a new national security data science and technology policy agenda aimed at leveraging the latest scientific research and technology to improve Australia’s security posture.

The new agenda is focused on science and technology priorities for national security, including cybersecurity, intelligence, technology foresighting, identity management, forensic science and investigative support, and incident response and prevention.

“Australia needs to remain at the forefront of science and innovation so we can meet any new and emerging threats to our security,” Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne said.

“This is why the government has released this new agenda, which replaces a decade-old policy. We must work seamlessly across government and in collaboration with our industry and university partners to develop the best capabilities for protecting Australia against threats to our national security.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/kentoh

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletter and quarterly magazine.