UA is the peak body representing Australia’s 39 comprehensive universities. Our member universities span the length and breadth of Australia. Together, they educate approximately one and a half million students each year, undertake significant research and development activities, and engage globally to grow Australia and the world’s knowledge base while supporting the nation’s economic and social well-being. This entails significant interaction with data, including data about and concerning Indigenous peoples.
Indigenous peoples have been collecting, managing, sharing and using data for tens of thousands of years before their lands became collectively known as Australia. Many are now calling for the data collected by Australian governments at all levels to give due regard to Indigenous peoples and their knowledges. This will make it possible for Indigenous Australians to govern data about themselves, and data that impacts their families and communities. It is appropriate that the Commission has already drawn upon the works of Indigenous academics and researchers to inform the draft report. Indigenous academics and knowledge holders’ perspectives and input should be relied upon for matters that concern them and are aligned with their expertise.
Recommendations
- Alter Priority Reform 4 to explicitly state that Indigenous data sovereignty is the goal.
- Set up guidelines for the reuse of Government data that reflect Indigenous Open data governance principles.
