Key Learnings from the Menzies Centre for Health Policy Executive Session 2
WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2015
Building, enhancing and sustaining Australia's data linkage infrastructure and capability: why does it matter
Delivered by Liz Furler.
In this executive session, Liz presented an overview of Australia’s data linkage infrastructure and the current issues surrounding it. Liz noted the strengths of Australia’s national approach to data linkage, noting that we are the only country to have true population coverage. Given this, Liz noted that linked data has the potential to be a powerful (and cost effective) way to understand the impact of a broad set of determinants of health and evaluate policy initiatives. Liz also discussed some of the difficulties and issues surrounding data linkage. She noted that data custodians are generally reluctant to allow access to their data, citing privacy and legislation concerns, resulting in a lengthy, complicated and expensive process for obtaining linked data. Yet, focus groups have demonstrated that Australians have very few privacy concerns regarding the use of their data and there are no legislative barriers currently in place.
Liz concluded the session by arguing that citizens need to be fully informed as to the great potential for these data to improve health and social policy and outcomes. Once effectively engaged in the process, citizens hold the power to argue and advocate for the utilisation of routinely collected administrative datasets to improve health and social policy in this country.
Key learning prepared by Jenny Welsh, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU. Jenny is a member of the ANU Menzies Centre for Health Policy steering group
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