THE Australian government committed $13.7m to the Better Data Use to Support Delivery for Regional Australians program over four years from 2020-21. As part of that program, the government is developing a Regional Data Hub to provide government and community decision makers with easier access to relevant data.
The Regional Data Hub is complementary to the National Freight Data Hub being developed by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development.
The government is urging business owners and other groups to provide input into the creation of the Regional Data Hub.
Federal regional communications minister, Mark Coulton said the Hub would provide a publicly available and searchable site that will make it easier to find the relevant data while also addressing gaps in data relating to rural Australia.
The types of data collated will be based on the feedback received through this consultation, but government proposes to focus on economic, social and demographic themes.
“High quality data and research are critical in making strong evidence-based decisions,” Mr Coulton said.
“The Regional Data Hub will provide an enduring source of information that helps community users, all tiers of government and others to serve the interests of their communities.
“The design and content of the Regional Data Hub will put user needs first.”
Assistant regional development and territories minister, Nola Marino, said it is important we understand the data needed to support the best possible outcomes for our regions over the long term.
“This consultation process will ensure the Regional Data Hub provides high-quality outputs to support regional data users including community members, local leaders, researchers, industry and all levels of government. I encourage everyone with an interest to make a submission,” Ms Marino said.
A six-week consultation process is now underway to understand data and information needs of users that will help prioritise data sets made available on the Hub.
“The process will also explore the mutual benefits of sharing and collaborating with data,” Minister Coulton said.
Feedback can be provided via a 20 minute survey or a submission responding to the consultation paper, both of which are available at communications.gov.au/have-your-say/RDHConsultation.
