Commonwealth Data Integration: Unlocking Insights for Education and Employment

1. Commonwealth data as a strategic resourceData integration involving Commonwealth data for statistical and research purposes Name Position Organisation Date

2. What is data integration? Dataset A Dataset B Integrated dataset Education data + EMPLOYMENT data = understanding education outcomes and workforce participation

3. Why a data integration initiative? • We need to use Commonwealth data as a strategic resource • Integrating data from multiple sources often helps provide solutions • We need to protect privacy and maintain the trust of the public

4. Commonwealth arrangements for data integration • Create a safe and effective environment • Framework endorsed by heads of Commonwealth Departments • High Level Principles • Governance and Institutional arrangements

5. High level principles 1. Strategic Resource 7. Transparency 2. Custodian’s accountability High level principles 6. Preserving privacy and confidentiality 3. Integrator’s accountability 4. Public benefit 5. Statistical & research purposes

6. Governance and institutional arrangements Cross Portfolio Data Integration Oversight Board Members: ABS, DHS, Health, DSS Secretariat Public Register of data integration projects Integrating Authorities: Accreditation Process Guide Education and engagement

7. Governance and institutional arrangements:Oversight Board Oversight Board • Provides strategic and collaborative leadership • Endorses changes or additions to the overall environment • Helps manage the systemic risk associated with conducting data integration projects • Accreditsintegrating authorities with the capacity to deal with high risk data integration projects • Assisted by a small secretariat Secretariat Education Integrating Authorities Guidelines Register of projects

8. Governance and institutional arrangements:Integrating authorities • Accountable for the end-to-end management of a data integration project • What sort of entity? • Must be in a position to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 • Must be authorised to receive identifiable data by legislation or consent from the data provider for any given project • Has the skills to manage the project • Is able to provide secure access to the integrated dataset • May work in partnership or outsource some aspects of the project. For example, a data linkage unit may be used to create linkage keys. • If the project is high risk, an accredited Integrating Authority is required • Most integrating authorities will charge for their services. Oversight Board Secretariat Education Integrating Authorities Guidelines Register of projects

9. Governance and institutional arrangements:Accreditation process Self-Assessment Integrating authority prepares a report against criteria for accreditation Oversight Board Audit Secretariat Independent party audits self-assessment Decision Education Integrating Authorities Guidelines Register of projects Oversight Board makes final decision on accreditation Publication of list of accredited agencies

10. Governance and institutional arrangements: Public Register of Data Integration Projects • Released in December 2012 • Designed to provide transparency (High level principle 7) • Accessed from the NSS web address: www.nss.gov.au/dataintegration Oversight Board Secretariat Education Integrating Authorities Guidelines Register of projects

11. Governance and institutional arrangements: A guide and supporting material • A Guideto data integration projects involving Commonwealth data for statistical and research purposes – located on govspace.gov.au • Confidentiality Information Series and Data Linking Information Series • Supports stakeholder engagement Oversight Board Secretariat Education Integrating Authorities Guidelines Register of projects

12. Opening up access to data • Where legislatively permissible and with agreements in place, the Commonwealth arrangements provide: • a framework for the approval and conduct of data integration projects • confidence to the data custodians by maintaining privacy and confidentiality • better data user access to administrative Commonwealth data for integration purposes

13. Key Stakeholders - Responsibilities • Data custodians • Data users • Integrating authorities

14. Responsibilities of the data custodian • maximising the inherent value of Commonwealth data sources • minimising privacy concerns associated with the use of data • facilitating the use of this data within privacy and legislative requirements

15. Responsibilities of the integrating authority • the management of the data integration project on behalf of data custodians • minimising privacy concerns associated with the use of data once it is received from data custodians and after integration • facilitating the use of the integrated data within the constraints of privacy and legislation

16. Responsibilities of the data user • Propose projects that produce significant overall public benefit • Abide by signed access agreements where applicable (e.g. ensure privacy and confidentiality are protected) • Use information only for the statistical and research purposes agreed

17. Implementation from 1 July 2014 • Implementation priority in the first six months of operations is to establish the arrangements for external projects: • for statistical and research purposes only • integrated at the unit record • data custodian for at least one dataset is a Commonwealth agency • data user is external to the Commonwealth (i.e. state government or academic research). • Initial implementation for selected external projects • During the initial implementation, the integrating authority is to be a Commonwealth agency.

18. Thank you & Questions?For more information A Guide for data integration projects involving Commonwealth data for statistical and research purposes (www.govspace.gov.au) National Statistical Service (NSS) (www.nss.gov.au/dataintegration) Online feedback mechanism (NSS website) Secretariat to the Cross Portfolio Data Integration Oversight Board (statistical.data.integration@nss.gov.au)