Data Strategy Briefing — March 31, 2022

Executive briefing: Australia’s Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022 (DATA Act) received Royal Assent on 31 March 2022, establishing a legal framework for controlled sharing of public sector data. The Act introduces an accreditation scheme, project purpose tests, and mandatory safeguards overseen by the National Data Commissioner.

Key governance checkpoints

Accreditation readiness. Agencies and accredited entities must demonstrate governance, technical security, and ethical capability to handle Australian government data.
Permitted purpose tests. Validate that proposed data sharing arrangements fall within the allowed purposes—delivery of government services, informing policy, supporting research and development—with prohibited uses excluded.
Data safeguards. Align controls with the Act’s five-safes model covering people, projects, settings, data, and outputs.

Operational priorities

Data sharing agreements. Prepare standard-form agreements capturing governance, consent, security, and breach response obligations.
Risk assessments. Implement project-level risk assessments and privacy impact analyses required before data can be shared.
Transparency reporting. Establish logs and public registers to report approved sharing projects in line with statutory publication duties.

Enablement moves

Engage with the National Data Commissioner’s guidance on accreditation criteria, data codes, and compliance monitoring.
Coordinate with state and territory partners to harmonise data sharing standards across jurisdictions.

Sources

Zeph Tech supports Australian agencies with DATA Act accreditation planning, five-safes control design, and data sharing agreement templates.