About the Data Linkage and Integration Authority

On this page:

• Our experience and expertise
• Our accreditation

Our experience and expertise

We use various methods and data sources when conducting research on family wellbeing and social issues. We have a team of data specialists with extensive knowledge and skills in data linkage, integration, management, analysis, and dissemination. We have strong partnerships and collaborations with data owners and custodians, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders across Australia. 

Our Data Linkage and Integration Authority has successfully delivered numerous data linkage and integration projects for various purposes and across sectors such as social services, health, and education. We also regularly contribute to the development of best practices and standards for data sharing and use in Australia.

We are unique as an Accredited Integrating Authority and Accredited Data Service Provider (ADSP) in the following ways:

• Accreditation: AIFS is one of the Australian Government’s 4 ADSPs that can provide secure data access services. This accreditation is granted by the Office of the National Data Commissioner (ONDC) and signifies that we meet the stringent criteria set by the Minister for Finance and the National Data Commissioner. 
• Data linkage expertise: As an ADSP, our data linkage experts can help with providing advice on connecting bespoke data sources to administrative and survey data from the federal, states and territory sources, to support a broad range of research and policy analysis. 
• Research focus: Our research focusses on child and family wellbeing. This expertise can assist with conceptualising linkage requirements in related research areas.

Our accreditation

We are an ADSP under the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022, which means we have the expertise and capability to manage and provide access to sensitive and confidential data in a secure and ethical way.

The Act establishes a framework for sharing and using public sector data for public interest purposes, while protecting the privacy and confidentiality of individuals and entities. The Act also sets out the Data Sharing Principles, which are the core values and standards that guide the data sharing and use activities through 6 key principles:

1. Project – the project should be a suitable work program, serve the public interest and follow ethical processes.
2. People – that data should only be given to the right people, with the right qualifications or expertise
3. Setting – that data must be shared, collected, and used in an appropriately controlled environment
4. Data – only the necessary data needed to achieve the data sharing purpose should be shared, collected, and used with proper protections applied
5. Output – the nature and intended use of the project’s output, and the requirements and procedures for using it must be considered with the final output only containing the necessary data to achieve the data sharing purpose
6. Application – to ensure the project aligns with the data sharing principles, the entity must apply each principle in a way that mitigates the risks associated with sharing, collecting, or using the data.

We abide by the principles in all our data linkage and integration services.