Each policy or decision a government makes costs money and will impact individuals and communities. Over this century, data have increased exponentially and techniques for handling big data sets have improved. And yet, many data sets remain locked up, unavailable, or only provided to a select few individuals.

This chapter provides the argument for leaping forward with the provision of data to trusted analysts so that we can build a more effective and timely evidence base to inform policy and practice in Australia. Yet, this chapter also stresses the importance of not being reckless or cavalier. The authors present a framework for both addressing the sensitivity and privacy issues when working with data and for ensuring shared collaboration in the development and structuring of research-ready data sets. The recent passage of the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022 (DATA) by the Commonwealth government provides the impetus for state governments and private data providers to adopt the principles that underpin DATA and for the rapid deployment of platforms to make greater use of data.