| Information is at the core of government | | | | will arise in the near future that will impact on the |
| activities. Managing data and ensuring it is as | | | | type of data you need? For example, do you |
| accurate and up to date as possible is critical for | | | | need just address information or are you planning |
| all levels of government in Australia, from local | | | | on increasing communication via other methods |
| councils to state or federal departments. | | | | such as email or phone? Determining what you |
| Governments collect a wide range of personal | | | | want to do with the data, or may want to do |
| information for a variety of reasons. Voting | | | | with the data, ensures that you are capturing the |
| information, tax information, vehicle registration, | | | | right information from the beginning. |
| criminal records, residency information, child safety | | | | 2. Where are the gaps? Look at the data you |
| -the list goes on and on. | | | | already possess and see where information is |
| Call centres, letters, email, face to face, citizens | | | | missing. What are the issues your department is |
| interact with government via multiple channels. | | | | most concerned about? How do you |
| The rise of e-government has also seen a | | | | communicate these issues to your citizens? For |
| massive increase in data collected via the internet. | | | | example, a local council can analyse its citizens |
| According to Experian QAS government research | | | | service utilisation and payment history to build a |
| "Almost 95% consider data quality to be a | | | | picture of the services used in the past and |
| 'priority' or 'important' - but less than 60% have a | | | | predict what they are likely to use in the future. |
| data quality strategy in place." | | | | Combined with lifestyle and geodemographic data |
| However it is captured, the data government | | | | profiling, the local council can better develop new |
| departments' possess is vital and the | | | | services and improve communication with their |
| consequences of 'getting data management | | | | citizens. |
| wrong' are both wide spread and severe. | | | | 3. How good is your current data? Analyse your |
| 1. PUBLIC SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT | | | | existing data to determine how well your existing |
| Imagine if a social worker arrived at a home to | | | | processes are working to capture and maintain |
| check on the welfare of minors in response to a | | | | accurate data. Do you have multiple entries for |
| report of abuse - and the address was wrong. | | | | the same person or address, how many |
| Not only would this be embarrassing for the | | | | incomplete records are in your system, how |
| government department, it could also jeopardise | | | | often are the records verified or updated? Once |
| the safety of the young people involved. This is | | | | the quality of your current data is assessed, it will |
| just one of numerous scenarios where public | | | | be possible to identify where the process is falling |
| safety could be at risk due to insufficient or | | | | down. |
| incorrect data held by government departments. | | | | 4. Put new process in place Data is constantly |
| There are multiple acts and guidelines pertaining to | | | | decaying. Processes need to be developed and |
| the mitigation of risk through personal information. | | | | implemented to collect, clean and maintain data in |
| For example, legislation relating to background | | | | a robust and future proof manner. Think beyond |
| checks on employees working with children, | | | | today when developing these systems to how |
| criminal records legislation including the National | | | | you may need to collect and utilise data in the |
| Offenders Register, public housing records, and | | | | future. |
| elder care records. Even emergency services can | | | | 5. Make technology work for you. Technology |
| be affected by improperly collected or maintained | | | | makes the daunting task of data verification, both |
| government records. | | | | at the point of entry and over the lifecycle of the |
| There are multiple acts and guidelines - from the | | | | data, much easier. There are tools to standardise |
| National Privacy Act to state and local based | | | | the input of information and verify it at point of |
| guidelines on personal information and data quality, | | | | entry, tools to clean an existing database by |
| as well as legislation pertaining to the mitigation of | | | | verifying address data against Australia Post's |
| risk through personal information. | | | | Postal Address File (PAF), and even tools to |
| 2. REPORTING AND COMPLIANCE LEGISLATION | | | | profile your database based on lifestyle or |
| The introduction of increased levels of compliance | | | | geodemographic information to better target |
| and reporting place a greater onus on businesses, | | | | communication. |
| and government departments, to ensure they are | | | | 6. Measure your progress To ensure that new |
| regularly updating and maintaining accurate | | | | policies, procedures and technologies are providing |
| information within their databases. | | | | improvements and return on investment it is |
| For example, the Federal Government introduced | | | | necessary to measure the improvement and |
| privacy protection legislation in 2001 which | | | | performance of your data quality on an ongoing |
| proscribes that organisations have an obligation to | | | | basis. This will also offer you the opportunity to |
| uphold individual's rights to privacy by regulating | | | | identify new areas which may need improvement |
| the collection, usage and disclosure of personal | | | | or ways new technologies may be able to |
| information. Centralising all of the information a | | | | enhance the data quality even further. |
| department holds about an individual and ensuring | | | | WHAT IS THE G-NAF? |
| its accuracy is imperative to ensure compliance. | | | | The development and launch of the nation's first |
| Legal requirements from Federal law state that | | | | index of physical addresses and geocoordinates |
| Government departments must archive data for | | | | for the corresponding parcel of land was |
| the past 25 years and demonstrate reasonable | | | | engineered by the Public Sector Mapping Agency |
| care in the maintenance of databases. As it is a | | | | (PSMA) in 2004. The key objective of the |
| well-documented fact that 17% of the Australian | | | | Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF) is to |
| population move home every year, it immediately | | | | provide the ultimate source for actual, physical |
| becomes obvious that a 25-year-old database will | | | | address data. |
| contain an inordinate amount of inaccurate data. | | | | The G-NAF is the collation of data provided by 15 |
| Australia Post advises that every day over 9,000 | | | | government agencies, including Australia Post, |
| addresses change. | | | | Australian Electoral Commission and land and |
| According to the National Privacy Act, "An | | | | mapping agencies. All these data providers send |
| organisation must take reasonable steps to make | | | | their files of address data and geocoordinate |
| sure that the personal information it collects, uses | | | | information to the PSMA. These are then |
| or discloses is accurate, complete and up-to-date." | | | | compared, given a confidence level depending on |
| Therefore it is a matter of law that the public | | | | how many times that exact address appears on |
| services has systems and processes in place to | | | | multiple sources and deduped. The ultimate aim is |
| ensure the accuracy of data, both when it is initial | | | | to create the authoritative national database for |
| collected and over the period of time the data is | | | | physical addressing in Australia. |
| retained. | | | | BENEFITS OF GNAF TO GOVERNMENT |
| 3. PROCESS IMPROVEMENT | | | | 1. Service Provision (Federal & State level)o |
| While Government departments span an | | | | By understanding where citizens are located, |
| overwhelmingly diverse range of functions from | | | | Service Providers such as Centrelink are able to |
| education and human services through to | | | | plot their physical locations onto a map and |
| emergency services, they share a single goal, the | | | | immediately see if existing centres are close to |
| provision of quality services to the citizens of | | | | clusters of those in need of assistance.o A further |
| Australia. | | | | example is NSW Health who are able to plot the |
| Although Government departments operate on a | | | | location of citizens and the location of hospitals |
| decidedly different methodology to the corporate | | | | and doctors. It can then instantly view whether |
| sector, the aim is to operate in the most efficient | | | | there is adequate service provision to those in |
| manner to drive value from the taxpayer's dollar. | | | | need. |
| Data quality is an aspect often overlooked by | | | | 2. Localo Allows more accurate planning as |
| government departments, but one that can offer | | | | statistical data can be more closely aligned with |
| wide ranging benefits to departments across the | | | | areas of interest such as shopping centres or high |
| board. Not only can the accuracy and validation of | | | | school catchments. This would support more |
| data prevent fraud and improve security, it | | | | accurate socio-economic and demographic analysis |
| enhances co-operation and sharing of information | | | | which would in turn lead to improved government |
| between departments and allows Government | | | | policy and delivery of services and support. |
| agencies to better interact with the citizens they | | | | 3. Emergency Responseo Streamline the incidence |
| serve. | | | | response processes and decrease response |
| For example, the quality of data retained by an | | | | timeso Emergency crews can pinpoint the exact |
| agency can be instrumental in preventing fraud. | | | | location of an addresso Houses under immediate |
| Each address in Australia has a unique DPID code | | | | bushfire threats can be located and warned with |
| assigned by Australia Post. Government programs | | | | the aid of GNAFo Beneficial in Counter Terrorism |
| that overlap each other can use this code as a | | | | responses. With GNAF, authorities can ensure |
| means to trace cross program involvement (ie. | | | | resources are immediately directed to exactly the |
| Community Services, Centrelink and Justice). | | | | right location. |
| Fraud can be detected via address verification as | | | | CONCLUSION |
| multiple claims from a single address will be | | | | Government exists to provide citizens with |
| identified instantly. | | | | services in an efficient and cost effective manner. |
| IMPROVING GOVERNMENT DATA MANAGEMENT | | | | These services range from protecting the welfare |
| Successful data management requires a focus on | | | | of children to providing each household with |
| deploying the right people, processes and | | | | recycling bins and everything in-between. Without |
| technology and a focus on proactively managing | | | | accurate and up to data databases, governments |
| data quality. | | | | will be unable to fulfil their core purpose and will |
| There are several steps government | | | | risk failing in key areas such as risk management, |
| departments can take to improve data | | | | public safety, fraud prevention and guaranteeing |
| management and mitigate the consequences of | | | | the privacy of its citizens. It is therefore critical |
| poor data quality. | | | | that government department increase their focus |
| 1. Determine how the data collected will be used. | | | | on developing and maintaining quality data |
| What will you be doing with the data collected? | | | | management processes. |
| Are there new products, services, legislation that | | | | |