Updating Victoria's Open Data Policy

Overview

As part of their day-to-day work, government agencies create large amounts of data. Making this data open and accessible to the public can improve government transparency, support research and drive economic growth.

Open government data does not include private information about individuals. It is non-personal, unclassified and not confidential. Examples of open data include: public transport timetables, crash statistics, popular baby names and school zones. There are many benefits to releasing this data. For example, developers incorporate public transport data into applications, so Victorians can access this information on the go. Similarly, school zone data has been incorporated into real estate platforms, providing additional information to property purchasers.

Since 2012, the DataVic Access Policy has governed the release of Victorian Government data. There are currently around 4,700 data sets are available on data.vic.gov.au with approximately 3,000 downloads per month. Victorians have come to expect to be able to find information about their Government.

Consultation process

DPC is seeking your feedback on the draft Open Data Policy. After considering your feedback through this process, DPC will finalise the Open Data Policy and reconfirm the Victorian Government's commitment to open data.

Have your say

The Department of Premier and Cabinet are inviting feedback on the proposed changes through Engage Victoria