Lowitja Institute launches Indigenous Data Sovereignty evaluation toolkit

“Data is power. There has always been a push for non-Indigenous people to decide what is done with data relating to Indigenous communities and peoples, and in how data is measured. But this needs to change.” - Dr. Kalinda Griffiths

Dr Kalinda Griffiths of the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at UNSW Source: Supplied

The Lowitja Institute just launched the Indigenous Data Sovereignty Readiness Assessment and Evaluation Toolkit for researchers, governments, and communities, to strengthen community control use and protection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data and information. 

Dr Kalinda Griffiths of the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at UNSW led development of the toolkit.

“Data governance plays a huge role, as well as data capacity building within the community. Once there is improved Indigenous data governance and ownership, we will likely see more timely and accurate data, which can be vital in circumstances like what we now face with COVID-19,"Dr Kalinda Griffiths said.

"These are complex problems and there’s no easy fix. But the needle is beginning to move.”