Response to the Australian Data Strategy Discussion Paper

This submission to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet answers the seven questions posed in the Australian Data Strategy Discussion Paper. Research Australia broadly agrees with the outline of the strategy but maintains that it omits building the capacity of the Australian Public Service to share data safely, noting an Office of the Australian Information Commissioner report attributing 88% of reported federal data breaches to human error. It proposes reframing ‘data sharing for improved services’ as data sharing for public benefit, consistent with the purposes in the Data Availability and Transparency Bill 2020, including research and development. Its three desired outcomes by 2025 are a social licence for sharing de-identified government data, faster and more secure access to data for public-interest research, and better assessment of the costs and value of data collection, including Australian Bureau of Statistics data on research and development. It recommends the strategy to support sharing and linkage of Commonwealth, State and Territory datasets, possibly through an intergovernmental agency, and for public engagement in identifying priority issues. Citing its 2019 opinion poll, in which 87% agreed their health care had benefited from research but 31% did not know whether they had benefited from research using personal health information, it recommends that discussion of data risks always be set alongside the benefits of sharing, and offers to partner with government on case studies.