Public sector data, the proposed Data Sharing and Release Act and implications for governments

The Productivity Commission (PC) released the report from its inquiry into public and private sector data in May 2017. As part of its response to that report, the Australian Government announced in May 2018 that it would create a National Data Commissioner to oversee a new data access framework and pass new legislation to remove red tape inhibiting access to data for research and growth (while at the same time ensuring that privacy and data security are protected). This article looks at the current status of those initiatives and the implications for governments generally from sharing a wide range of public data sets.

Productivity Commission recommendations

In its May 2017 report, the PC argued that fundamental change is needed, noting the current regulatory frameworks governing data availability and use, based as they are on risk aversion and avoidance, are not appropriate and inhibit Australian governments, businesses and not-for-profits from taking advantage of