Data Sharing

What is Data Sharing?

The term data sharing refers to the access provided by an organisation to the data that they hold. This is done within the NSW Government to inform more efficient and strategic decision-making in delivering better outcomes to the people of NSW.

In this guidance we lay out how NSW Government agencies can share government sector data safely and securely, as well as how the public can request this data. The Data Sharing (Government Sector) Act 2015 defines government sector data as “any data that a government sector agency controls but does not include data of a kind excluded by the regulations". 

Benefits

There are benefits to sharing data for the whole of NSW Government:

• Identifying trends and patterns to create new insights and better strategic decisions
• Reducing bias and misinformation
• Increasing accountability and promoting transparency
• Improving decision-making by providing a more robust evidence base
• Informing and evaluating services, policies, and programs
• Optimising customer experiences and outcomes

How do we share data?

In NSW there are several pieces of legislation on data sharing and privacy that govern what data can be shared and what cannot.  

The sharing of de-identified data is supported by the Data Sharing (Government Sector) Act 2015, while the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 deal with the specific sharing relating to personal and health information.

There are also several mechanisms which can be used to facilitate sharing such as Memorandums of Understanding and Public Interest Directions.

For more information check the Sharing data under the legislation page.

Data Sharing Principles

The NSW Government uses the Five Safes Framework which is an internationally recognised risk management model designed to help identify and manage data sharing risks. Under this framework, data sharing risks are managed across five 'safety' principles: people, projects, settings, output and data.

1. Safe Projects: sharing data only for appropriate and authorised purposes, with clear public benefits
2. Safe People: data is only shared with authorised users
3. Safe Settings: data is only shared and used in a safe and secure environment
4. Safe Data: ensuring data is of the necessary quality and, if it relates to people, that privacy is maintained
5. Safe Outputs: the output from the data sharing does not identify people or organisations and is safeguarded before further sharing or release

For more information check the Five Safes Framework page.