What is Indigenous Data Sovereignty?
Indigenous Data Sovereignty is an objective of an Indigenous-led movement that seeks to change the way Indigenous data is used and understood.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty refers to the right of Indigenous peoples to exercise ownership over Indigenous data. Ownership of data can be expressed through the creation, collection, access, analysis, interpretation, management, dissemination and reuse of Indigenous data. (Maiam Nayri Wingara 2018)
Facilitating Indigenous Data Sovereignty for informing housing, homelessness and urban policy
The importance of Indigenous Data Sovereignty in developing housing, homelessness and urban policy is a rapidly growing focus, both in Australia and internationally. However, up to now there has been little or no recognition in the housing sector of its potential in helping deliver appropriate policy.
To facilitate Indigenous Data Sovereignty in research and data collection processes for housing, homelessness and urban policy, processes and practices should:
- source Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance and oversight of project creation, development, data interpretation, reporting and dissemination
- have project governance structures in the form of a Mobility Reference Group which comprises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders from across the social housing sector, and other service sectors including Peak Organisations, Government and Non-Government Organisations and service providers
- ensure relevance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities, rather than solely for Government purposes and/or projects
- contextualise and disaggregate data to local levels that are accessible, meaningful and relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
- create an ongoing feedback loop with community to understand what the data means for them and their data needs
- deliver consistent, transparent and contextualised reporting
- disseminate data, irrespective of results
- use strengths-based approach to reporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data, including safe, relevant and appropriate use of comparative and sub-analysis
- apply Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interpretation of data to ensure reporting respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, community and interests
- report Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data in context (acknowledging government historical and ongoing impact, and data quality issues).
(Source: adapted from Maim Nayri Wingara (2018), DCJ (2023) and Inside Policy (2023).)
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