The Local Government Association of Queensland is leading the way in ensuring trust, transparency and accountability drive the use and management of data by the State's 77 local councils.
In a first for Australia, the LGAQ has finalised a framework that puts ethics at the centre of data management across the local government sector.
It follows rapid growth in the use of data by local councils to gain insights into the expectations of local communities about services and infrastructure.
LGAQ President and Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said the Association would use the new framework in its own data management and analysis but also promote its value to councils across the state.
“Trust has got to be at the centre of any data-driven relationship, but especially one involving councils and their local communities,” he said.
“People are rightly asking their councils to become more efficient and offer more value for the ratepayer dollar.”
“Data analysis unlocks opportunities to achieve these objectives, but councils need to be mindful of retaining the integrity of data for the purpose for which it is collected and maintaining a person’s privacy.”
Mayor Jamieson said the LGAQ wanted to set a benchmark for local councils in Queensland by adopting the ethics framework and pledging not to sell or otherwise misuse personal data.
He said the framework contained a series of checks and balances around the use of data, including the establishment of a special ethics committee of experts to advise on the right way to go about analysing and interpreting data sets.
The membership of the new committee will be announced early in 2019.