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Data Maturity in Australian Local Government
A national research project looking at local government data collection practices and procedures for both staff and community. What's missing? Participating councils receive benchmarking and early access to results.
What are we measuring?
The benchmark assesses three capability areas.
Maturity
Data collection practices, governance structures and policy settings that support intersectional data.
Representation alignment
A high-level comparison between workforce demographics and community demographics.
Analytical readiness
Systems, tools and capacity to move beyond descriptive reporting to more applied analysis.
How does it work
Why This Research Matters
Local governments are expected to deliver equitable services across increasingly diverse communities. However, capability to work with intersectional data varies widely. In many councils:
- Data is siloed across systems and departments
- Intersectional analysis is limited or inconsistent
- Workforce–community alignment is rarely measured
There is currently no national benchmark to understand how councils compare or where capability gaps exist. This research aims to establish that baseline.