Accelerating actionable insights
Data challenges
- Insights ad hoc and not available to decision-makers when they need them
- Variable alignment to strategic priorities for better community outcomes
- Variable use of advanced analytics
- Variable secure analytics platform capability and interoperability
- Variable data linkage capacity
Actions to meet the challenges
- Consistent data operating model across NSW Government that reduces duplication, improves efficiency, and harnesses advanced analytics
- Self-service insights hubs for use across the sector
- Sector-wide secure analytics and data exchange capability, including privacy enhancing technologies
- Secure hosting of enduring linked data assets
What the future looks like
- Data and insights are delivered to decision-makers through self-service and user friendly products and services
- Delivery of insights is accelerated by using modern, interoperable platforms and processes and advanced analytics
- Insights are driven by strategic priorities that lead to better community outcomes
- Richer insights available more rapidly and safely across government
Treating data as an asset
Data challenges
- Investment in data collection, management, use, and sharing is variable
- Visibility of data sets is variable
- Data silos and duplication
- Variable use of standards and variable data quality
- Variable access to linked data assets
Actions to meet the challenges
- Recognise data and associated metadata as a significant state asset
- Develop guidance on calculating cost of managing data and benefits of using and sharing it
- Develop a spend category for government procurement of data and data services
- Where appropriate, procure private sector data of high value across the sector centrally
- Support and coordinate sharing of agency data of high value across the sector
- Support and coordinate development of enduring linked data assets and ongoing stewardship
What the future looks like
- Investment in data that is of high value across the sector is strategic and coordinated
- The value of NSW government data is understood
- NSW government data is managed effectively and is well described and understood and easily integrated
- Enduring data assets are widely available and used across government for the benefit of the community
Strengthening transparency and trust
Data challenges
- Customers are rightly interested in how their data is collected, managed, used, and shared
- Current governance systems do not include a process to recognise Aboriginal cultural authority when decisions are made about Aboriginal data
- Current data collection processes have been developed to collect data about what agencies want to know, rather than what Aboriginal peoples want and need to have the evidence to drive change
- Aboriginal peoples in NSW do not have access to their data to be able to make decisions for their people and engage in discussions with the Government as equals about policies and programs
- NSW government legislative and data policy context is complex and difficult to apply consistently
- Data volumes and complexity are increasing making data harder to manage and protect
- Data sharing pathways are variable and time-consuming
- Release of open data is variable
Actions to meet the challenges
- Undertake a statutory review of the NSW Data Sharing (Government Sector) Act 2015
- Engage with the Aboriginal Community to gain an understanding of the peoples that wish to participate in community engagement about the Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Data Governance reforms included in the Data Strategy
- Consolidate NSW Government data policy, including developing a common data sharing agreement and streamlined approval process across government, aligning with the Australian Government’s data sharing scheme as appropriate; and working with the Aboriginal Community to ensure inclusion of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Data Governance principles
- Work with the Aboriginal Community to implement and evaluate the Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Data Governance Principles in the Data Strategy and in the consolidated whole of government data policy, including data sharing.
- Develop a clear set of data ethics principles drawing on AI Ethics principles
- Publish more open data to promote government transparency and provide a platform for innovation
What the future looks like
- Data is managed, used, and shared in accordance with the highest privacy, security, and ethical standards so that people of NSW have confidence that their data is being collected, managed, used, and shared appropriately, responsibly and in their best interest
- Research, evaluation and data analysis is safe, ethical, respectful, responsible, high quality and of benefit to Aboriginal children, families and communities.
- Data sharing pathways are consistent, streamlined and well understood, and incorporate Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Data Governance principles.
- More government data is published as open data promoting transparency and innovation
Fostering culture, leadership and capability
Data challenges
- Lack of clarity of data leadership and responsibility across NSW Government
- Data literacy, capability and capacity is variable across NSW government
Actions to meet the challenges
- Appoint Cluster Chief Data Officers to lead and champion data use and sharing across government
- Establish a NSW Data Leadership Group
- Develop a Data Roadmap for each cluster of government departments and agencies
- Assess data maturity across NSW government to determine baseline and inform capability building priorities
What the future looks like
- There is a collaborative and coordinated approach to using and sharing data and insights across NSW Government
- Data literacy and capability is consistent and high across NSW government
- Data is consistently sought and used to inform decision-making
Last updated 11 Jul 2024