Image: Martino Sabia.
The New South Wales government has announced an ambitious plan to establish an Australia-first whole-of-government Data Analytics Centre (DAC).
The DAC will be located initially within the NSW Office of Finance, Services and Innovation, and has come as part of the government’s wider ICT Strategy, which was initially launched in 2012 by former Minister for Finance Greg Pearce under the Barry O’Farrell Coalition government.
Now under the Mike Baird government with Minister of Finance Dominic Perrottet at the helm at the Office of Finance, the new DAC has come as a response to the need for governments to harness its existing and future data assets, which are rapidly expanding in an environment that’s being nurtured and encouraged to become natively digital.
Making the announcement at the University of Technology Sydney’s Data Arena to an audience of business and industry leaders on 2nd August, 2015, Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Victor Dominello said there needed to be a centralised agency with the capacity to aggregate and analyse whole-of-government data, including from security operation centres (SOC) and local governments.
“Data is one of the greatest assets held by government, but when it’s buried away in bureaucracy it is of little value,” Mr Dominello said.
“Whether it’s tackling crime, combating obesity or addressing housing affordability, we cannot hope to develop solutions to the long-term challenges that our state faces without an effective whole-of-government data sharing platform.”
He said data analytics has been used successfully in jurisdictions like New Zealand, New York City and the State of Michigan to improve the lives of citizens through better targeted and more coordinated government service delivery.
According to Mr Dominello, the DAC will be able to interface with the NSW digital ecosystem in a significant way to gain insights and reduce some of the great public challenges that we have such as, in the areas of crime prevention, childhood obesity, pollution, sustainable urban planning etc.
“Governments right around the world spend enormous resources in trying to solve these challenges in a piece meal way. What the DAC will provide is an ability for industry and researchers to interface with government in a one stop shop environment to solve some of these complex issues,” he said.
Chair of the Australian Information Industry Association Kee Wong commended the NSW government for its foresight in establishing a data analytics centre.
“As we mature into a knowledge based economy, the role of data and the ability to link data from multiple sources, supported by appropriate privacy and security, will drive more effective and innovative government as well as contribute to the competitiveness of the NSW economy,” Mr Wong said.
According to the NSW government, a specialist government steering committee is advising on the establishment of the centre and an industry advisory body will assist in guiding its ongoing work.
The steering committee includes NSW Privacy Commissioner Dr Elizabeth Coombs, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer Mary O’Kane, NSW Customer Service Commissioner Mike Pratt and NSW Information Commissioner Liz Tydd.
