Data analysis

People make decisions based on data. If we present data correctly, and in a way that focuses on the main issues and messages, we can better inform those decisions – especially if the decision maker is time-poor. And the combination of data and visuals is powerful.  This guide explains what elements make some infographics and […]

As the world emerges from two years under the shadow of the COVID pandemic, there is an understandable yearning to return to a past that is now long since disappeared. It is now time to prepare plans for a year of transition, with all its complexities. Much has changed in the past two years, but […]

The relationship between government bodies and the public has been severely tested and, ultimately, strengthened in Australia during the past 12 months. Uncertainty accompanying Covid has meant community expectations around consistent and clear information have never been greater.  Even in the early stages of the disaster, public appetite for information was so great that slowed […]

Data has become a game-changer for both the best and the worst of policy practices. And it needs great attention from government.

Even in the early days of the pandemic, officials around the globe shared spreadsheets to track utilisation and hospital capacity. We had enormous amounts of data we couldn’t analyse. Despite decades of investment in technology, there remained hundreds of dark, unconnected pools of data.

Every process and object can potentially be connected, captured and analysed. Using these insights, smart governments will have unprecedented ability to make intelligent, informed decisions that improve people’s lives.

Today it’s estimated that we take in about five times as much information as we did 25 years ago, and that we process as much data in a day as our 15th century ancestors would have in their lifetime.

Many government departments lack the baseline evidence essential for evaluating their programs and policies before and after implementation. Those responsible for developing policies and strategies are constantly facing the risk of policies failing due to a lack of evidence to support their recommendations.

Understanding how to tackle social mobility is a major organisational, evidence-gathering, and data research challenge for government and researchers.

Had Fiona Stanley been constrained by today’s data privacy demands we might never have learned how to reduce incidents of spina bifida. Many more digital public goods are languishing amid grand pronouncements. Rather, we need the whole system to start coalescing around common goals.

Government agencies are being asked to contribute to a Productivity Commission inquiry that is looking at how to maximise the economic value of big data, both public and private, through increased sharing.

Australian tax officials say information sharing and improved technology are closing the net on tax cheats. The Panama Papers should help fight the uphill battle against some of the wealthiest people and organisations.

While Australia still underinvests in social innovation, there is much to be optimistic about with better use of existing data. There are big opportunities to reduce disadvantage through data use.

Public service leaders are increasingly enamoured with what big data can do. They need to build the capability, but also avoid putting the public at risk, the IPAA national conference heard.