In Dataplace there are five stages to reach an agreement on sharing data:
The Request stage enables a data requestor to request for data that is not publicly available from a data custodian (an Australian Government agency).
Before starting a data sharing request, data requestors are encouraged to search the Australian Government Data Catalogue to check if the data is publicly available.
There are two methods of starting a data sharing request.
Method 1: Find a conditional or restricted data asset in the Australian Government Data Catalogue (the Catalogue) and to make a data sharing request by selecting Make a data request for this asset.
You will be asked to confirm if you want to start a request. The new request created using the Catalogue will automatically include details based on the data asset requested.
Method 2: Select the Make a data request tile on the Dataplace homepage or choose from the Services drop‑down menu.
To start a data sharing request using this method, you will need to nominate a data custodian. A search bar is available to find a data custodian (Note: you can also search the Australian Government Data Catalogue on this page). If you are unsure which data custodian has the data you are looking for, you can search using keywords about the data and you will be provided with suggestions. If the selected data custodian does not have the data, they can transfer your data sharing request to the appropriate data custodian.
Once you have selected a data custodian, a pop-up will appear confirming the start of a data sharing request. If you select OK, an email will be sent to your organisation’s Nominated inbox to notify the commencement of a data sharing request.
The data sharing request form is designed to guide the data requestor to provide information that supports their request while addressing the data sharing principles. The form consists of eight tabs:
Mandatory questions in the data sharing request form are identified by red asterisks (*) and must be completed to submit the data sharing request form. The form is interactive, so additional questions may appear depending on previous responses. Once the form is submitted, the form will be locked until the data custodian has assessed the data sharing request.
Data requestors should provide as much information as possible during the Request stage to help data custodians make an informed decision. If a data custodian agrees to share the data in-principle, you may be asked to provide additional or updated information in the project form during the Collaborate stage.
To save your responses, select Save using the Actions icon (three vertical dots) at the top of the screen or trigger the automatic save by proceeding to the next tab by selecting Next at the bottom of the page.
You can return to the data sharing request by using the Requestor tab in the Manage data requests page.
To print a copy of your data sharing request, select Print in the ‘Actions’ menu (three vertical dots) at the top of the screen.
During the Request stage, it is recommended that the data requestor nominates a Contact officer for the entirety of the data sharing project. This may be the Data coordinator or someone else in the organisation with an understanding of the project and can respond to queries.
In addition, it may be appropriate to nominate the person who will be responsible for approving the data sharing agreement (the Approving officer). Under the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022 (DATA Scheme), the Approving officer will need to be an Authorised Officer under the Act. The approving officer can be added or changed at any point until the data sharing project is finalised.
You can also add Contributors to the data sharing project to enable access and edits to the project form. Contributors may include researchers, legal or IT staff from within your organisation.
To invite a Contact officer, Approving officer or a Contributor to the data sharing request, select Manage. A pop-up window will appear enabling you to select users with a Dataplace account.
If you need to change the data custodian, you can modify the selection in the Lead custodian box. Search for the new data custodian and select Nominate.
At this stage, you can also include an additional requestor for visibility of the data sharing request. They will only be able to edit the project form during the Collaborate stage. Use the Manage button in the Additional requestor box to search for a new requestor (they must be on Dataplace) and select Add.
After submitting your data sharing request, you will receive an email confirming the data sharing request is with the nominated data custodian for Assessment and a data sharing request ID for your reference.
You will receive an email notification when the data custodian has made an in-principle decision on your data sharing request. The timing may vary depending on the volume of data sharing requests they have received and the complexity of your request. Alternatively, you can view the status of your data sharing request using the Activity tab in Manage data requests. The Activity tab shows the history and status of all data sharing projects your organisation has participated in.
After the Assessment stage, a summary of the data custodian’s assessment will be available in the Response tab. Some data custodians may indicate if a supply charge will apply to cover costs associated with extracting, cleaning, preparing and providing access to the shared data. This is the agency’s decision, but any charging arrangements must be in line with the Australian Government’s Charging Framework.