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50
Ensure Aboriginal perspective in development of data collection
That in the development of future national censuses and other data collection activity covering Aboriginal people, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other agencies consult, at an early stage, with ATSIC – to ensure that full account is taken of the Aboriginal perspective.
Data is a cultural, strategic, and economic asset for Indigenous peoples. Indigenous Australians have always been active in what is now known as ‘data’. Yet in modern times we have been isolated from the language, control and production of data at community, state and national levels. This has resulted in data that are overly focused on Indigenous peoples as the problem. Existing data and data infrastructure does not recognise or privilege our knowledges and worldviews nor meet our current and future needs.
Aboriginal Justice Caucus Assessment
The intent of Recommendation 50 was to ensure that national and other data collection activities meaningfully incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.
While the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission is no longer operating, the intent of the recommendation remains relevant as agencies like the ABS must ensure that ‘full account is taken of the Aboriginal perspective’. Data systems must reflect Aboriginal knowledge, values, and priorities to genuinely support self-determination. This requires improved access to data and greater control over what is collected and how our stories are told.
Actions taken to date demonstrate alignment with this intent. The Centre of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics has been established within the ABS, advisory groups have been convened, and Aboriginal staff employed to engage with communities. However, there is a lack of transparency about the depth and impact of this community engagement and the extent to which it has influenced the design of data or content. There needs to be ongoing, meaningful consultation.
Recommendation 50 is mostly the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government and Australian Bureau of Statistics, but state agencies must continue to consult Aboriginal organisations to Aboriginal data sovereignty becomes a reality.
Priority for Further Work:
Low
Relevance and potential impact | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Low (0-2) | Moderate (3-4) | High (5-6) | |||
Extent of action taken and evidence of outcomes | High (5-6) | ||||
Moderate (3-4) | |||||
Low (0-2) | |||||
Background
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) emphasised that knowledge of Aboriginal society derived from social indicators came as a by-product of data collected for administrative purposes. The Commissioners felt a special national survey covering a range of social, demographic, health and economic characteristics of the Aboriginal population would be extremely valuable and was long overdue’. It was imperative that Aboriginal perspectives be incorporated in all stages of the design and implementation of national censuses and other Aboriginal data collection.
Actions Taken Since Last Review
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The ABS recognise there is increasing demand for higher quality data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to inform key policy initiatives such as Closing the Gap, and to better fulfil ABS’ commitment to return information to the community.
We are dedicated to early and ongoing conversations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to increase the participation in, and relevance of, our statistical collections.
At the Commonwealth level, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) was developed by the ABS in consultation with a range of stakeholders including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, peak bodies, research groups, government and academia.
The ABS is also involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reference groups, including the ABS led Round Table on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics which consults at a grassroots level with individuals on operational and cultural aspects related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander statistics and collections.
Centre of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics
The Centre of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics (CoATSIS) leads and coordinates national statistical activities relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It engages with communities through various data initiatives, including health and social surveys, the Census, and data integration projects.
Key Objectives:
- Inform Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations, and the broader public about relevant statistics and issues.
- Provide reliable data to support government policy and evaluation.
- Contribute to national reporting efforts like Closing the Gap.
- Help communities and organisations use statistics effectively.
- Promote best practices in data collection and analysis.
- Improve the quality and integration of statistics across data sources.
- Ensure culturally secure, consultative approaches in all statistical work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
CoATSIS Engagement Management Unit
CoATSIS have 13 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement staff (including one role that covers Victoria and Tasmania) based in ABS State and Territory offices throughout Australia to support meaningful engagement with their local communities on ABS work.
Their role is to:
- engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities—urban, regional, and remote—through partnerships that promote participation in ABS data collections.
- Building understanding and participation in data initiatives
- Returning information and providing statistical training to communities
- Improving the quality and relevance of statistics to meet the needs of both communities and key stakeholders.
Round Table on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics
The Round Table is an advisory group formed by the ABS to enhance data quality and engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It ensures that ABS statistical programs are culturally appropriate and meet the information needs of communities, organisations, and governments. The group also focuses on increasing community participation in data collections, including the Census. Its members are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts from diverse backgrounds and regions, with experience in research, policy, service delivery, and advocacy.
Victoria
As with earlier phases of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement, AJA4 includes a commitment to ‘improve collection and availability of Aboriginal justice data’. While efforts have been made across justice agencies to improve Aboriginal identification in data, there are still areas, like courts where it is almost impossible to get any data disaggregated by Aboriginal status, particularly in relation to court proceedings and outcomes. The data that is available across justice agencies rarely reflects the outcomes that are of most interest to Aboriginal Communities and organisations.
The Victorian Government recognises ‘Aboriginal ownership and control of data is a key enabler of self-determination’ and that ‘Aboriginal communities and organisations should have governance, choice and control over data collected from and about their communities.’
Under Priority Reform Four of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the Victorian Government committed to: share disaggregated regional data with Aboriginal communities; work with Aboriginal partners to guide improved collection, access, management and use of data; be transparent about what data is held and how Aboriginal people can access it; and build capacity in Aboriginal organisations and Communities to collect and use data.
The Victorian Closing the Gap Implementation Plan expands on how these commitments will be fulfilled over the 2021-2023 period, confirming that government departments will ‘develop sector-wide data access and data sharing agreements with and for Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations (ACCOs) and Traditional Owners in their sector (local, state-wide and peak) with advice and input from the appropriate Aboriginal governance mechanism;’ and ‘prioritise additional investment in ACCO data management and analytics as a core function’ and ‘collaboratively develop options to properly resource this function through allocations from departmental funding programs and through the annual budget process.’ As we neared 2023, the AJC considered these commitments had not been fulfilled across the criminal legal system and should be progressed with some urgency.
To enable the Aboriginal Community to hold government to account, greater transparency of and access to data is of paramount importance.
Impact
Outputs
Several national and state-level initiatives have been established to improve the collection and accessibility of data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. At the Commonwealth level, the Australian Bureau of Statistics established the Centre of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics (CoATSIS), which leads the development of culturally appropriate statistical collections, including surveys and administrative data. CoATSIS also maintains a national Engagement Management Unit with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff who work directly with communities to support participation and data use. Additionally, the ABS Round Table on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics brings together Aboriginal leaders to advise on data relevance and cultural safety. In Victoria, through the Aboriginal Justice Agreement and Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, the government has committed to data governance reforms, improved data sharing with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, and investment in Aboriginal data capabilities.
Outcomes
Structures to support Aboriginal participation in data governance have been strengthened, with improved cultural relevance in data collection. However, implementation remains incomplete. Disaggregated justice data—particularly in courts—is still limited, and ongoing gaps in transparency, access, and community control continue to prevent the full realisation of Aboriginal-led data sovereignty.
The Aboriginal Justice Caucus have previously raised concerns that commitments made by the Victorian Government under Victoria’s Closing the Gap Implementation Plan 2021-2023 to enhance Aboriginal control of access to and use of data, had not been met.
Community Views
Maiam nayri Wingara
Data is a cultural, strategic, and economic asset for Indigenous peoples. Indigenous Australians have always been active in what is now known as ‘data’. Yet in modern times we have been isolated from the language, control and production of data at community, state and national levels. This has resulted in data that are overly focused on Indigenous peoples as the problem. Existing data and data infrastructure does not recognise or privilege our knowledges and worldviews nor meet our current and future needs.
The Summit delegates affirmed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have the right to control all aspects of the data ecosystem—including its creation, management, and use. They called for:
- Contextual, disaggregated data accessible at community and regional levels
- Data that is relevant, supports self-determination and effective self-governance
- Data structures that are accountable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Data that protects and respects our individual and collective interests
To achieve Indigenous Data Governance, Indigenous leaders, practitioners and communities must have the skills and infrastructure to participate across all sectors and jurisdictions. They also retain the right to govern specific data sets and to decline involvement in data processes that violate these principles.
Aboriginal Justice Caucus
The AJC submission to Yoorrook included relevant recommendations to promote and progress Aboriginal Data Sovereignty and Aboriginal Data Governance. These recommendations were like those put forward in submissions from other AJC member organisations:
- Reform funding arrangements with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to provide sustainable, and ongoing support for all aspects of Aboriginal-led service delivery (from design to implementation, data collection and evaluation).
- Enshrine the Maiam nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty protocols and principles in legislation and policy that governs data collection, storage and use for government departments and other public sector agencies.
- Ensure Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations are sufficiently resourced to support Indigenous Data Governance.