Data is now the most valuable commodity in the world. Whether we intend to or not, we produce data on ever increasing levels on a daily basis. As the largest single employer in the ACT, the ACT Government has an obligation to place apt governance structure around this data, and fence it doe the benefit of its producers.

As technology and AI further develop, they are being more and more entrenched in the Public Service and the way in which we operate. As they evolve they will undoubtably yield efficiencies. While these efficiencies will be generated by the technological advances, they cannot occur without human input – input that can and must be recognised by the public service as a generated efficiency and applied back to those workers.

Additionally, through the everyday nature of the work public servants undertake, they generate data. Whether this is policy, projects, research, or even through their actions such as such as location, movement, efficiency, hours worked, sick days and vacations. Where the data is of a personally generated by workers, they must retain ownership, control and / or governance over their products. This should include apt recognition and acknowledgement of the data produced.

Where this data is utilised by the employer to generate an income stream (ie data provided for research) this revenue should be fed back into the budget as a specific employee entitlement.