Looking ahead

The next couple of months are shaping up to be big in the world of data. Key work being delivered includes:

• The National Archives of Australia policy on Building trust in the public record managing information and data for government and community
• The first video of the In conversation with Dr Gruen series. This one featuring Anthony Goldbloom, founder and CEO of Kaggle
• APS Data Professional Stream’s Forward Work Plan

National Archives of Australia policy – Building trust in the public record managing information and data for government and community

The National Archives is developing a new policy to continue to improve Australian Government (Cwlth) capability in managing its information assets (records, information and data). The policy, Building trust in the public record: managing information and data for government and community will take effect 1 January 2021, with an anticipated release later this year. It will build on the National Archives current policy Digital Continuity 2020, which concludes at the end of the year. The policy supports effective APS governance and operations, and has been developed in consultation with key data and information policy agencies to ensure its alignment with government objectives. The policy provides an overarching framework for good information practice. It acknowledges that data is an increasingly important type of information and to unlock its full potential it must be managed well. 

The National Archives’ policies continue to emphasise the importance of building professional capability in managing the information assets of Australian Government. Current National Archives’ guidance includes an information and data capabilities resource which outlines the skills and knowledge employees need, to create and manage information and data effectively. This resource will be updated to support the new policy. Other new and revised advice delivered under the policy will define and address contemporary challenges of managing information and data across Australian Government including in the areas of:

• Strategic planning and governance
• Metadata
• Data interoperability
• Long-term storage (preservation) of digital content

Please contact the National Archives at information.management@naa.gov.au should you wish to discuss the policy or its implementation.

In conversation with Dr Gruen and Anthony Goldbloom

The first speaker for the In conversation with Dr Gruen series is Anthony Goldbloom, founder and CEO of Kaggle (now a Google company).

Kaggle is the world’s largest data science and machine learning community with over 5 million members. Forbes has twice named Anthony one of the 30 under 30 in technology, the MIT Technology Review has named him as one of the 35 Innovators under 35, and the University of Melbourne has given Anthony an Alumni of Distinction Award.

Graduating from Melbourne University in 2006, Anthony worked at Department of Treasury and the RBA before launching Kaggle in 2010, and then moving to San Francisco in 2012. In 2017, Kaggle was acquired by Google.

In this video, you will hear from Anthony and David as they cover a range of topics including career development and plans, ways to keep your set of skills and knowledge current, opportunities for using data to solve public sector problems, and ideas on what the future will bring. 

To gain early access to this video, make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter. We’ll let you know when it’s available and how to access it. If you’re not already subscribed, you can do so here.

APS Data Professional Stream Forward Work Plan

A draft Forward Work Plan for the APS Data Professional Stream will be delivered to the APSC this year. This plan will provide a roadmap for the key initiatives that will be implemented over the next two years and will also include an overview of the vision for the next five years.

Priorities have been set by the Senior Reference Group and we are currently taking a co-design approach to delve into potential initiatives with our Senior Working Group. This will help establish a work plan that reflects a broad APS perspective and is targeted at addressing key challenges and harnessing opportunities. In recent workshops with our Senior Working Group, we have covered topics such as data roles, career pathways, capability frameworks, micro-credentials and tertiary study. We look forward to sharing the Forward Work Plan with you in the new year.

To find out if your agency has a representative, see the list of Senior Reference Group and Senior Working Group members below.