Eligibility

Which entities can apply for accreditation?

Your organisation is eligible to apply for accreditation as a data user and/or data service provider (ADSP) if it is a Commonwealth body, a state or territory body, or an Australian university.

Some Commonwealth bodies are excluded from the Scheme for national security and other reasons. Excluded entities include intelligence and law enforcement entities such as the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation.

Preparing an application

Do I need to provide an instrument of authorisation as part of the accreditation assessment?

We recommend that your organisation share a copy of the written instrument of authorisation with us, if one has been made. This is to ensure an application for accreditation was validly submitted by an authorised officer on behalf of your organisation. If an instrument is not provided, we will request it during our assessment.

For more information about authorised officers, including templates for written instruments and how to upload yours onto Dataplace, visit: Authorised Officers and Authorised Individuals | Office of the National Data Commissioner

If a particular unit in the organisation is seeking accreditation, can the organisation only provide information about that unit instead of the whole organisation?

While accreditation occurs at the organisation level, we recognise there may be instances where only a particular unit of the organisation is seeking accreditation. For example, an organisation applying for accreditation as an ADSP could have one business unit that would be performing the data services.

Your organisation can specify the business unit(s) seeking accreditation in the application and provide information specific to that unit. If the information is also applicable at the organisational level (for example, data governance policies), we suggest clarifying how that information relates to the business unit(s) seeking accreditation.

We recommend using the comment field in the application to provide context and nuance to your responses. The accreditation authority will consider your application and determine the most appropriate outcome. This could include imposing a condition that only the specified business unit(s) may participate in data sharing under the Scheme.

Do I have to complete the full user application if another organisation will host and store scheme data?

If your organisation does not intend to host or store scheme data on its own network, you can state this in the application form. Subsequently, you will not be required to answer further questions regarding your organisation’s security and network settings.

If your organisation is accredited, the accreditation will include a condition that your organisation may only collect or use scheme data using a secure access data service provided by an ADSP. Your organisation should also consider the number and availability of ADSPs that can provide secure access data services.

To view the register of ADSPs, visit: Accredited Entity Register | Office of the National Data Commissioner

I would like more support for my application – who can I talk to?

We are happy to support and guide your organisation through the accreditation process.

Please reach out to information@datacommissioner.gov.au if you have any questions or would like to meet with us to discuss your draft application.

We especially encourage you to contact us before you submit your application if your organisation is an Australian university or a state or territory body.

You can also find useful tools and resources about accreditation on our website: Request Data | Office of the National Data Commissioner

Submitting your application

How long does the accreditation process take from start to finish?

We aim to assess applications for accreditation as a data user within 2 months, and applications for accreditation as an ADSP within 3 months.

These timeframes are exclusive of the time it takes for your organisation to respond to any requests for information from us.

Are there any application fees?

There are no application fees for user or ADSP accreditation.