On the 31st of July, the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney’s CBD was abuzz with stimulating discourse, valuable insights, and pioneering concepts as executives from the public sector convened for our inaugural Aristotle Metadata executive breakfast event. The distinguished keynote speaker was former Minister Victor Dominello, a prominent advocate for digital government transformation.

The event aimed to shine a spotlight on the transformative potential of Metadata.NSW and DataPassport.NSW, two groundbreaking initiatives developed by Aristotle Metadata in partnership with the NSW Government. It was a resounding success, highlighting the critical importance of fostering a robust data culture within the public sector.

Metadata.NSW is a centralised repository designed to organise, store, and maintain metadata in a standardised and structured manner. The primary goal of Metadata.NSW is to provide government departments with up-to-date data inventories, facilitating a more efficient and effective way to discover and access relevant information. It enables seamless data exchange between different agencies and systems, reducing the time required from weeks or months to mere minutes.

DataPassport.NSW, meanwhile, facilitates secure and efficient data sharing across various government departments. It ensures that sensitive data is handled with the utmost care, maintaining privacy and security while promoting collaboration and accessibility.

Former Minister Dominello expressed that his vision for a data-driven government aligns perfectly with the objectives of Metadata.NSW and DataPassport.NSW, which aim to foster a collaborative data culture within the public sector. “It’s a culture change. We’ve got to invest more in data and more in digital solutions to have any chance of maintaining or improving our quality of life for thousands of generations.”

The key takeaways for business leaders and executives from the event were:

Enhanced data discoverability and access enabled by Metadata.NSW means that critical information, such as the answer to an urgent ministerial request or the provision of valuable insights to revolutionise a department, is readily available.

• The seamless and accelerated data exchange facilitated by Metadata.NSW drastically reduces the time required to access and share information between agencies, leading to faster service delivery and enhanced policy effectiveness.
• Improved public outcomes will be driven by a cross-departmental data inventory for NSW citizens. Notable improvements will include faster response times, more informed decision-making, and enhanced public services.
• Data from the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission highlighted that New South Wales is the only jurisdiction making progress in closing the gap initiatives for Indigenous Australians. This success is partly attributed to researchers having faster access to better-quality data through the Metadata.NSW and the NSW Data Passport initiatives.
• The event highlighted the importance of decentralising data governance. By empowering teams to manage and share their data effectively, NSW is setting a new standard for data-driven governance.

Dominello reflected on his time in office, stating, “I promised myself at that point that I would absolutely go mental on anything if I saw a paper process. I would have a war over it. I wanted real-time information. So that we could make informed decisions to stop suffering or to reduce suffering as much as we could.”

Dedication to real-time, data-driven decision-making is at the heart of the initiatives discussed at the event. Improvements such as faster service delivery, enhanced policy effectiveness, and a more informed public showcase the direct benefits of improved data governance for public services. The success of the initiatives that foster cross-departmental data inventory promotes a culture of discovery and sharing, which supports better outcomes for residents of NSW.

The NSW Government is leading the way in creating an end-to-end platform that enhances data documentation, governance, and discovery. By embracing the initiatives of Metadata.NSW and DataPassport.NSW, the state is setting a new standard for governance while ensuring better, more sustainable outcomes for its citizens.

As business leaders and executives, it is imperative to understand and support these initiatives, driving forward a culture of discovery, sharing, and collaboration in data management.

Samuel Spencer

CEO & Co-founder at Aristotle Metadata | Website | + posts

Samuel is an innovative leader in data governance, spearheading the creation of the Aristotle Metadata Registry in 2014. Having a wealth of experience in statistical agencies, he discovered a unique opportunity in user-friendly metadata management, which gained worldwide recognition at IASSIST 2015. With his guidance, Aristotle Metadata has transformed into a thriving company that caters to clients all over the globe. His unwavering dedication to innovation and nurturing a lively data community have been the driving forces behind this success.

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