The Office of the National Data Commissioner
The Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022 (the Act) established the DATA Scheme (the Scheme) to support sharing of Australian Government data.
The Act established the National Data Commissioner, an independent statutory officer, as the regulator of the Scheme. The Commissioner provides advice and guidance about the Scheme’s operation to the Minister, Scheme participants and other stakeholders, and oversees the delivery of tools to support data handling and sharing. The Commissioner is supported by the Office of the National Data Commissioner.
The Office of the National Data Commissioner sits within the Department of Finance.
The National Data Commissioner
The National Data Commissioner is the regulator of the DATA Scheme and provides advice and guidance about its operation to the Minister, Scheme participants and others. The Commissioner's other functions are to deliver education and tools to support best practice data handling and sharing.
Nicole Pearson commenced as the acting National Data Commissioner on 17 August 2026.
Nicole joined the Office of the National Data Commissioner from the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA), where she served as the Chief of Transparency, Integrity and Legal. Nicole has a strong background in data policy and practice, having delivered strategic operational changes to support data innovation within IPEA, advancing data maturity and data analysis capability to strengthen regulatory activities.
