Indigenous Governance of Data Held by Organisations: How to Operationalise Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles in Australia

Indigenous Data Sovereignty has emerged in response to poor data practices concerning Indigenous Peoples worldwide and offers a way of returning control of data ecosystems to Indigenous Peoples. In Australia, the Maiam nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles were developed and published in 2018 and as a result, there is a growing body of academic and policy relevant literature on Indigenous Data Sovereignty. There are increasing calls from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their organisations, governments, statistical agencies and universities for practical guidance on how to operationalise Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles through Indigenous Data Governance within data systems controlled outside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations. The aim of this paper is to guide how the Maiam nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles can be applied within organisations creating or holding Indigenous data. This guide can additionally be used to review organisations’ and institutions’ progress on their Indigenous Data Sovereignty journeys.