The whole-of-economy data strategy is, reportedly, the first time the government has outlined its plan for Australia to become a ‘modern, data-driven society by 2030’. It complements the recently updated digital strategy, in which the government has pledged to have all of its services available online by 2025, and the digital economy strategy released earlier in 2021.
With data seen as increasingly valuable to the economy, the four-year strategy aims to maximise its importance by building the capabilities for ethical use, while ensuring data remains protected across its entire lifecycle.
The government has previously cited the effective use of health and travel-related data during the pandemic as a reason for the greater sharing of data between governments, for example. Much of the vision outlined in the strategy, however, relies on the passage of the Data Availability and Transparency (DAT) Bill, which – in its current form – does not have bipartisan support.
The bill will make it easier for agencies to share public sector data between themselves and the private sector for three purposes: service delivery, informing policy, and research and development. It will do this by creating an alternative pathway for sharing that bypasses some 500 data secrecy and confidentiality provision in 157 pieces of existing legislation.
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