The Department of Finance (Finance) has a range of people working in various data roles, all with different skills, experience and expertise.
Finance recently held its first Data Week – an opportunity for staff to discover how data is being used, governed and protected across the department.
In the lead up to Data Week, our ‘Working With Data’ staff profile series raised awareness and promoted the diversity of data work undertaken across the department. This series showcased our Chief Data Officer, data analysts, governance officers, and workforce planning and policy officers – all using their different skills to maximise the use of data in their roles.
Data Week recap
Across the week, staff attended a range of events to improve understanding of how data can support decision-making, learn about new tools to handle and organise data and tips to stay ahead in a data-driven world.
Data Week events included:
- Panel discussion on emerging opportunities and challenges in data
- Data visualisation showcase
- Data Analyst and Data Stewards Community of Practice on data collection with quality in mind
- ‘Who’s Who’ Roundtable – a guide of Finance’s key data players
- Finance Data Platform naming competition
Building capability
Finance collects and securely holds a large amount of data – including procurement, grants, property management, and services for parliament – as well as data from other portfolios to inform policy advice.
To ensure Finance manages and shares data responsibly, we are committed to uplifting our capabilities through initiatives such as Data Week and the launch of Finance’s Data Strategy 2025-28.
By providing our staff with opportunities and clear frameworks to develop data capability, we can support the delivery of the Government’s Data and Digital Government Strategy.
Australian Government Data Governance Framework
Finance recently released the Australian Government Data Governance Framework (Framework) - a general resource for all Australian government officers, both with and without direct data responsibilities. It helps build data maturity through a common understanding of data governance across the Australian Public Service.
The Framework provides the basics of data governance that agencies can adapt to suit their needs. It includes a checklist of governance practices, as well as a library of links to key policies and resources.
To start building data capability in your agency, view the Framework on our website.
