Annual DataLab Charges
| Annual Charge FY2025-26 | Excluding GST |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 projects: 1 to 5 analysts | $5,500 |
| Tier 2 projects: 6 to 10 analysts | $13,200 |
| Tier 3 projects: 11 to 25 analysts | $33,000 |
| Tier 4 projects: Above 25 analysts | Custom |
Additional charges apply for customised data integration services.
Non-Standard Access and Services
Non-standard charges apply to all projects for services that are not within the scope of the annual charge.
- Non-standard charges include access to SAS, Databricks, non-standard virtual machines and storage above one terabyte.
- Non-standard charges for access to Databricks and non-standard virtual machines will be invoiced quarterly based on usage and as per the schedule below.
- Non-standard charges also apply to increased service levels, such as priority clearance and high service level.
| Quarterly charges per project |
|---|
Non-standard virtual machines are charged quarterly. Standard virtual machines are included in the annual charge and comprise machines up to and including the large size. Please refer to virtual machines for further information on size. Usage based charge set by Microsoft Azure - only the cost incurred by each project is charged quarterly. |
Databricks is charged quarterly. Please refer to Databricks for more information about this service. Usage based charge set by Microsoft Azure - only the cost incurred by each project is charged quarterly. |
| Quarter | Months | Quote Issued |
|---|---|---|
| Qtr 1 | July to September | Charge in October |
| Qtr 2 | October to December | Charge in January |
| Qtr 3 | January to March | Charge in April |
| Qtr 4 | April to June | Charge in July |
| Annual charges per project | Excluding GST |
|---|---|
Use of SAS (per user) Charge applicable per financial year. This charge is non-transferable and not pro-rated for the year for the user. | $500 |
Each additional terabyte of storage per project workspace. (One terabyte of storage is included in the annual charge.) | $850 |
| Annual charges per project - High Clearance Demand* | Excluding GST |
|---|---|
Tier 1 This charge is based on the number of output requests received by the Output clearance team. Tier 1 applies to projects with output requests that:
| $20,900 |
Tier 2 This charge is based on the number of output requests received by the Output clearance team. Tier 2 applies to projects with output requests that:
| $45,100 |
*A High Clearance Demand charge applies to projects that require a higher level of service, including high volumes, faster turnaround or the application of special rules. This charge will be applied when the project team requests this higher level of service, or when the ABS determines that a project is requiring resources exceeding cost recovery of the annual charge. High Clearance Demand charges are structured into two separate tiers.
| Annual charges per project - High service level** | Excluding GST |
|---|---|
This charge is levied on projects that have a high number of service requests. The following will be a factor in considering the application of the high service level charge:
| $22,000 |
**A high service level charge applies to projects that require resources exceeding the cost recovery of the annual charge. This charge will be applied when the project team requests this higher level of service, or when the ABS determines that a project is requiring resources exceeds the cost recovery of the annual charge.
| Program Evaluation | Excluding GST |
|---|---|
This charge applies to program evaluation type of projects to cover the additional administrative effort required beyond the standard support provided for DataLab projects. This effort relates to undertaking additional approval and consent processes necessary to enable project outputs that may identify organisation(s). This is a one-off charge applied per project upon request. | $630 |
University Projects
For projects and data services covered by the current ABS/Universities Australia Agreement, students, staff and researchers are not individually invoiced for their use of the charged ABS data services.
For more information refer to the ABS/Universities Australia Agreement.
University projects that choose to progress their access requests outside of the ABS/Universities Australia Agreement will be subject to access charges as outlined above.
Academics looking to submit a grant application should note the following:
- Access Fees: Projects outside the ABS/Universities Australia Agreement will incur standard charges.
- Eligible Expense: DataLab access is allowed under current National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) guidelines.
- Cost Estimates: Review published fees above or contact the ABS.
ABS International Merchandise Trade (IMT) Statistics
ABS International Merchandise Trade (IMT) statistics are subject to additional disclosure controls and consistency checks with published ABS data when releasing IMT data from the DataLab.
These additional activities incur additional costs. Projects requiring access to IMT data are subject to the following charges:
- $500 (GST exclusive) – per project requesting access to merchandise imports or exports data.
- $250 (GST exclusive) – per IMT output request submitted.
Charges will not apply for existing projects (pre-January 2025) with IMT data but will apply for outputs requested for review - $250 per output request submitted.
Access Outside Australia charges
Access to the DataLab from outside Australia is open for applications, see Access outside of Australia for more information. There are additional charges associated with project and researcher applications to access DataLab from outside Australia. This includes domestic researchers seeking to access DataLab while travelling outside Australia, and researchers from overseas entities seeking to access DataLab for a new project.
Note, an assessment fee is payable even if the application does not proceed or is denied by the ABS. Paying this fee does not guarantee access.
These charges are in addition to the annual DataLab charges and cover costs for the ABS to administer access to DataLab from outside Australia while upholding high standards of security and service delivery.
| Charge | Fee (excl. GST) | Description | Charge Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment fee | $1,600 | Additional approvals, cyber security assessment, revised undertakings, whitelisting and monitoring set up. This fee is payable even if the application does not proceed or is denied by the ABS. Paying this fee does not guarantee access. | Per application and per researcher* |
| Annual fee (top-up) | $1,900 | Regular auditing and maintenance overseas access, query support, and corporate administration in maintaining overseas access. | Additional fee per project* |
| Establishment fee | $4,100 | Assessment of organisation covering privacy and legal settings, review and customisation of undertakings, additional custodian approvals. | Per organisation for 1 project |
| Legal fee (if required) | $7,600 | For new overseas entities. Negotiation of the form of legal documentation that will work with the governance and laws of that organisation. Review of treaty arrangements. Review of final documentation. | One-off per organisation (if required) |
*Note: If a researcher travels overseas at two separate times or changes their travel as approved, the assessment fee applies each time an assessment is required. Any subsequent travel requests will be subjected to similar charges.