Life Course Data Initiative

The Treasury and Department of Social Services are leading the implementation of the Targeting Entrenched Disadvantage package, with a focus on intergenerational disadvantage and improving child and family wellbeing. The 2023-24 Commonwealth Budget delivered $199.8 million to fund this work.

As part of the commitment to Targeting Entrenched Disadvantage, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) received $16.4 million to deliver the Life Course Data Initiative (LCDI) over four years from July 2023. The LCDI will create an evidence-base, bringing together data from a range of early childhood, health and community services, and associated data insights, to inform long term policy responses to address disadvantage. The LCDI focuses on addressing evidence gaps about the early years of Australians’ lives, particularly ages 0-14 years, to better understand and target disadvantage.

The LCDI is expected to help:

• understand children’s outcomes and the impact of early life experiences.
• researchers explore the social, economic and wellbeing outcomes in geographic locations, and how the different strengths in communities can help people thrive.
• inform public policy response to improve the outcomes for people in areas and populations who are more likely to experience disadvantage.

The ABS is consulting with a range of experts to inform research and data priorities related to disadvantage. Stakeholders have expressed the importance of considering cross-domain life course outcomes with a focus on both wellbeing and disadvantage.

The LCDI pilot is being delivered in partnership between the ABS and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government and with South Australia (SA) through the SA Government and University of Adelaide’s BetterStart.

Over the next four years, the ABS is working with the partners, across all aspects of the pilot LCDI, including data integration and broader data sharing, governance processes, research and understanding community data needs. This will include safely linking a range of ACT and SA datasets to the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) and building research partnerships to demonstrate its value in addressing disadvantage. 

Life Course Dataset

The pilot Life Course Dataset will be created by safely linking the existing PLIDA to a selection of ACT datasets, University of Adelaide BetterStart's Better Evidence Better Outcomes Linked Dataset, state and territory births registry data, and Commonwealth Childcare data.

The production of the pilot Life Course Dataset will be the first time many of these datasets have been brought together. The ABS, SA and ACT governments, and relevant data custodians are working together to test and establish new approaches. All data in the dataset is de-identified and adheres to strict governance and privacy conditions (see Life Course Dataset access and privacy considerations).

The ABS will enhance the Life Course Dataset to understand household and family connections and the support networks of a child and how these change over time. This will allow for more detailed analysis of life course outcomes and experiences of disadvantage, particularly for children. 

Access to the pilot Life Course Dataset will be facilitated by the ABS and limited to LCDI researchers who have been approved access by data custodians. LCDI researchers must meet the conditions for safe and secure data access in the ABS DataLab, and have their access approved by relevant data custodians. The pilot Life Course Dataset will be accessible to approved LCDI researchers, with phased access to data from March 2025.

Research Program

The ABS will facilitate research projects with external organisations to demonstrate the value of the pilot Life Course Dataset, including: 

• two projects led by LCDI partners, one ACT led project, and one SA led project.
• a limited number of additional research projects to be delivered as part of the LCDI pilot, to be determined in collaboration with LCDI partners from 2025.

Research projects will:

• be supported by the ABS through the project proposal, analysis and output phases.
• require data custodian approval.

For more information on the LCDI research program, please email life.course@abs.gov.au.

ABS Statistical Program

The ABS will publish statistics and analysis to support a better understanding of children's experiences and outcomes across Australia. Some of these will include a new child-level indicator of well-being, and a series of community and national indicators relevant to social, economic and wellbeing outcomes.

Community Program

Two Community Data Liaison Officers (CDLOs) have been engaged to understand data requirements and accessibility which meets specific community needs. The CDLOs will engage with community-led or place-based projects and help local regions gain access to data which meets their specific needs and to support local decision-making.

The ABS will conduct an evaluation of the LCDI to inform advice to government and partners about possible future directions. The evaluation will aim to collect and understand the changes brought by the pilot, in real-time as possible, to help guide the work program and understand what is working and what isn't.

• The Life Course Dataset will be created and protected under the Census and Statistics Act 1905. The pilot LCDI will comply with the Privacy Act and use PLIDA and relevant jurisdictional data custodian approval processes.
• Research undertaken with the Life Course Dataset will occur within the Five Safes Framework.
• Researchers will be required to undertake ABS safe researcher training and sign relevant undertakings prior to accessing any de-identified data for research purposes. Aggregate data from the pilot will be made available on the ABS website.
• All unit record level data will be held within the secure DataLab environment only.
• An independent Privacy Impact Assessment will be completed to explore privacy considerations for the LCDI and will be published on the ABS website.

For more information about the LCDI, please email life.course@abs.gov.au.

Additional information:

How the ABS Manages Privacy

Five Safes Framework

Entrenched disadvantage package-Department of Social Services

Entrenched disadvantage- Parliament of Australia