Health Department releases plan to lift First Nations control over Indigenous data

The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has published a summary of its new Governance of Indigenous Data Implementation Plan, setting out how the department says it will work “in genuine partnership” with First Nations people on the way Indigenous data is managed, accessed and used.

The publication says the department holds “substantial data assets” about the Australian population (including data related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and states it will partner to ensure First Nations people are “afforded the right to exercise ownership and control over Indigenous data across all phases of the data lifecycle”.

The department describes the plan as its response to the Australian Government’s Framework for Governance of Indigenous Data and says it was developed through an 18‑month partnership with a First Nations-led Governance of Indigenous Data working group.

The summary outlines six goals, including embedding governance of Indigenous data in department policies and processes; maintaining meaningful partnerships; improving how First Nations people can find out what data is held and how to access it; building governance capability; supporting broader cultural change across government; and monitoring and evaluation.

Under Goal 1, the listed actions include establishing (and filling) Indigenous Data Champion roles and updating the department’s Data Asset Register to better identify Indigenous data holdings and improve visibility.

On accountability, the plan points to “public facing accountability” measures (including publishing annual reports as an example) as part of its monitoring and evaluation approach.

The working group membership list in the summary names co‑chairs Ms Chantal Jackson (Assistant Secretary, First Nations Health Division) and Mr Isaac Torres (Data Project Co‑ordinator, Kimberley Aboriginal Health Research Alliance), alongside other members from community-controlled, research and government organisations.

The broader APS framework, led by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), says agencies are expected to develop a seven‑year implementation plan guided by four core principles, from partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through to building an inclusive data system.