Guidance for Data Custodians
Introduction
The PLIDA Governance Guide provides the framework for data custodians providing data to the Person-Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA). It explains how the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) manages PLIDA. It also helps custodians understand their role in ensuring safe handling of data, transparent governance, and compliance with legislation and ethical standards.
Purpose
This downloadable governance guide is designed to:
- Outline the principles and processes that underpin PLIDA governance
- Support custodians in meeting privacy, security, and ethical obligations
- Enable confident participation in PLIDA, knowing data will be managed responsibly and securely
- Promote collaboration that delivers public benefit through evidence-based insights.
Key Topics
The guide covers:
- Governance principles and co-governance arrangements
- Privacy-by-design and security protocols
- Roles and responsibilities of data custodians
- Project approval, ethics requirements, and access controls
- Data linkage, retention, and destruction processes.
A checklist has been developed to outline the role and responsibilities of ABS data custodians and help organisations assess their readiness for secure, lawful and effective data sharing in ABS data integration projects.
Contact ABS for assistance by emailing mydataportal@abs.gov.au.
PLIDA Governance Guide
Resources
See below to download other support resources.
Checklist for becoming a data custodian
Use this document as a guide to see how ready you are to be a data custodian.
Letter of Exchange template example
Use this document as a guide to see how ready you are to be a data custodian.
PLIDA data supply Data Item List template
This document captures the metadata and structure of the data you need us to link to PLIDA. It forms the basis of the data sharing agreement and helps us accurately cost the data integration.
Data supply guidelines
This document outlines the format and other requirements for data supply to the ABS once a data sharing agreement is signed.
History of changes
| Change date | Resource | Key changes from previous versions |
|---|---|---|
| 03/07/2026 | Data supply guidelines V1.1 |
|