Image: Chris Amelung
Australia’s capability in data and cyber security has been strengthened with the opening of Data Governance Australia (DGA), a new national data governance institute in Melbourne.
This represents a boost for the country’s capability in this area as well as Victoria’s data and cyber security industry.
The Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) established the new not-for-profit organisation, that was set up to promote the responsible use of data, effective governance and management to help safeguard Australia’s fast-growing digital economy.
Data Governance Australia will work with the country’s biggest corporations and leaders in the data space, including Qantas, Woolworths, Coles, Westpac and Sentre Group (Westfield), to advocate for best practice, help shape regulatory framework and provide training courses, accreditation and knowledge sharing.
Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis said the opening of the centre represents a strengthening of Victoria’s data capabilities and further cementing the state’s reputation as a hub for cyber security.
The Victorian Government has worked with ADMA to bring the headquarters of Australia’s national representative body for analytics professionals, the Institute for Analytics Professionals Australia (IAPA).
The launch of these new headquarters in Melbourne consolidates the state’s capabilities in relation to data analytics, governance and security which is estimated to be worth $50.8 billion by 2020.
Victoria is already leading the nation in cyber security initiatives with the announcement of the new Oceania Cyber Security Centre which will collaborate with Oxford University’s Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre (GCSCC) and Data61, the digital research arm of the CSIRO, all collocating in Melbourne’s Docklands.
This boost in data capabilities and expertise will further strengthen Victoria’s reputation as a magnet for tech capital investment and research.
According to the Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis, “Not only will increasing our data capabilities boost our growing expertise in cyber security, it will help safeguard our fast-growing digital economy and be a significant economic driver for Victoria in years to come.”
“These agencies will boost jobs across the state and cement our reputation as Australia’s tech leader, building data-driven infrastructure and running activities across the country from Victoria.”
A spokesperson at the Office of the Premier of Victoria told GovNews, “The Victorian Government Information Technology Strategy 2016-2020 has made it a priority to ‘better use and share data and information to improve policy making and service design’. Victoria is investing in data management and analytics expertise across the Victorian Public Service, as well as building the data literacy and improving usage of data by policy-makers across the Victorian government.”
The opening of the National Data Governance Institute is also expected to bolster ICT employment in the state.
“Victoria has a workforce of around 160,000 ICT professionals of which close to half are employed outside the ICT industry. Demand for digital skills are high and growing which will see employment growth related to these skills. The DGA aims to create trust and industry self-regulation around data which should see increased demand for data analysts and data scientists,” the spokesperson said.
