Message from the Secretary

The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources plays a vital role driving economic and productivity growth, and job creation, for all Australians.

To achieve this, the design and implementation of the Australian Government’s policies, programs, services and regulations needs to be supported by a robust evidence base. In an increasingly complex economic environment, it is more important than ever that this is underpinned by high-quality data analysis and visualisation.

The Data Strategy 2021–2024 builds on the department’s existing data capabilities and lessons-learned from recent experiences to guide us through the next phase of our data evolution. Working in alignment with our Digital Strategy 2021–23, this strategy outlines how we will continue fostering innovative ways of working that encourage all employees to make the most of our data capabilities and resources.

Under the strategy, we will continue to grow a sustainable data-driven culture and maximise the data capabilities of all employees, from basic through to advanced data users. By giving our people the tools and skills they need to undertake data analytics and produce high quality visualisations, we will be better able to communicate insights from data to design and deliver robust, evidence-based policies and programs.

We will increase our collection of high quality location data and ensure we have the tools and capability to use it. This will help us provide location-specific insights, tailor programs to the diverse and specific circumstances and needs of all Australians, and understand the impact of initiatives across the country.

As we deal with more data than ever before, this strategy will also guide our efforts to optimise the department’s governance, management and security processes. By ensuring our data assets are well-managed and easily accessible to employees, we will increase their value.

Data is a key part of everything we do. This strategy ushers in an exciting new phase in our evolution as a data-driven organisation. By the end of 2024, we will have advanced data activity in our department to ensure the best evidence is readily available and consistently used. This will drive strategic decisions at all levels and deliver positive outcomes for the Australian economy in an ever-changing landscape. 

David Fredericks PSM

Secretary, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources