DATA Scheme at Monash
Monash University is an accredited Data User under the Data Availability and Transparency Act (DATA) 2022. The DATA scheme is managed by the Office of National Data Commissioner (ONDC). Details of other accredited entities can be found on the ONDC website.
The DATA Scheme is another pathway to request access to Commonwealth government data. Under the DATA Scheme, Monash researchers can request data, including data that requires secure sharing arrangements and cannot be shared through existing Australian open government data portals such as data.gov.au.
The Act does not authorise the sharing of data in certain circumstances and some data can not be shared and is excluded from the Scheme. For details go to When sharing is barred under the DATA Scheme.
As this is a new Scheme for the ONDC, Universities and Commonwealth agencies, processes will change and evolve.
For more information about the DATA scheme and the ONDC go to Introducing the DATA Scheme.
The three tabs below outline who is eligible, how to request data, and where to find government data.
The bottom of this page include four groups of Frequently Asked Questions.
Under the DATA Scheme Monash University is the accredited entity formally making the request. As the DATA Scheme relates to the Data Availability and Transparency Act (DATA) 2022, requests can be submitted by:
- Monash researchers employed as staff working on a Monash University project.
- Monash graduate research students who are also employed as a staff member working on a Monash University project.
Non-Australian citizens or permanent residents working on the project and accessing data must be named in the data sharing agreement (DSA), and the following details included:
- Full name, any previous names, and preferred name
- Nationality or (if more than one), and
- A description of the individual’s proposed role in the project (noting their role will be restricted to that described in the DSA. See paragraph 5(1)(b) of the National Security Code).
Where this applies, the signed DSA will need to be reviewed by ASIO prior to data being shared.
For more information visit the ONDC website: Foreign individuals – DATA Scheme requirements.
Data containing private or personal information can only be accessed, shared and stored in Australia using the designated secure location at Monash (SDE), or a secure environment stipulated by the data custodian in the DSA.
Who can access the data and under which conditions will ultimately be determined by the data custodian (Commonwealth agency).
Dataplace is a new, whole-of-government platform designed to allow users to request data from Commonwealth government agencies under the DATA Scheme.
Prior to submitting a request, researchers should check to see if the data is openly available as some agencies list their open datasets on their website. A list of open data portals can be found under the heading Government Data Catalogues.
To ensure Dataplace functions correctly, using the current version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome is recommended.
To make a request, visit the the Dataplace portal:
- Select ‘Sign in’
- Select 'Continue with Australian Access Federation (AAF)’
- Find Monash and select ‘Continue to your organisation’
- Select the tile ‘Make a data request’
- Complete the mandatory fields (marked with a red asterisk)
- Select Yes to ‘Do you propose the data be shared under the DATA Scheme?’
There are six mandatory questions. You should provide enough information for the data custodian to assess your request and make an in-principle decision to share the data.
This includes asking about costs and notifying them if your request has specific timeframes.
For more information go to the ONDC website: Making a Data Sharing Request under the Act
List of Government Open data portals and other data catalogues
Australian Government Directory - To locate commonwealth agencies and various departments within the ministerial portfolios.
Victorian government open data
Queensland government open data
Curated national datasets in an interactive online platform to explore, visualise and analyse data - Digital Atlas of Australia
Health Related
Aggregated Data
Services Australia - Medicare statistics - Services Australia - statistical information about Medicare programs administered by us. This includes MBS, PBS and RPBS, AODR, PIP, and AIR.
Statistical information and data - Services Australia - statistical data related to Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support
AIHW GEN Aged Care
GEN is a comprehensive “one–stop shop” for data and information about aged care services in Australia. It reports on capacity and activity in the aged care system focusing on the people, their care assessments and the services they use.
Person Level Data
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Data Collections
National Health Data Hub (NHDH) (formerly NIHSI). Includes data includes data from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS), Residential Aged Care services data, National Death Index (NDI) and Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) data will be included from mid-2023. Fees
Datasets include;
- Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
- Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS)
- national aged care data, including for:
- residential care
- home care
- home support
- flexible care
- aged care eligibility assessments
- hospitals data, including the:
- National Hospital Morbidity Database
- Admitted Patient Care Database
- National Non-Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database (NNAPEDCD) for emergency department presentations
- National Death Index (NDI)
- Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) (formerly MADIP) (ABS). Includes MBS, PBS and AIR data plus other Commonwealth data
AIHW - National Death Index includes State jurisdiction data and ABS - Cause of Death, Australia (aggregated data)
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Microdata and TableBuilder: National Health Survey
Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health
Health Data Australia (HeSANDA project)
Australian Register of Clinical Registries
Department of Social Services - Longitudinal Studies Dataverse
Climate Science and Transport
Geospatial data holdings - Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Bureau of Meteorology Data Catalogue
Australian marine and climate science data - IMOS/Australian Open Data Network
Australian Antarctic Data Centre
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts - Data Catalogue
Data from a range of sources (crash, infrastructure, vehicle, enforcement and health-related systems) - Office of Road Safety
AuScope Geomodels Portal - sourced from Australian geological surveys
Monash University has some other formal agreements in place for access (via OREI) to these datasets:
- ABS - Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs)
- Census Table Builder
- Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA)
- Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)
- Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC)
- Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA)
- Australian Longitudinal Individuals File (ALife)