Working Groups

The Consumer Data Standards program is being supported by various open working groups, sharing feedback and progress with the broader Australian and international community:

  • Technical Working Group: accountable for conducting consultations and drafting subsequent technical recommendations to the Chair of the Data Standards Body for changes to the technical standards. 
  • Consumer Experience: articulating best practice language and design patterns for organisations seeking consent from consumers to access their data, and providing guidance on the user experience of authentication and authorisation. 

You can sign up for updates from the Working Groups.

Discussions about the API standards and Information Security work also occurs on GitHub.

Ways of working

Each of the working groups is open to anyone with an interest and expertise in API standards, information security and consumer experience and design. While each working group may operate slightly differently, all use email updates and blog updates on this site. Engagement is expected to take place online. This reduces barriers to participation, particularly for smaller organisations. In person workshops and meetings may supplement regular online engagement as this option becomes available.

The working groups are the mechanism through which developing standards can be tested, examined and improved. They are not decision-making groups, although the Consumer Data Standards program will work hard to achieve consensus on topics discussed in the groups wherever possible. The Chair of the Data Standards Body has ultimate decision-making responsibility regarding the design of the standards.

Principles to guide the working groups

Principle one: open participation

The process of standards development aims for inclusion. This does not mean that standards will be developed democratically but that all serious feedback will be considered during the process. The ability to provide feedback will not be restricted to a specific set of industry participants or organisations.

Principle two: transparency

The proposals put forward, the feedback provided and the resulting decisions will be transparent to the wider community. This is to ensure that all participants and segments of a designated sector have an equal opportunity to participate whilst simultaneously ensuring there is no perception of bias toward any specific stakeholder group.

Principle three: the Treasury is accountable for recommendations made

The Treasury has been designated as the Data Standards Body, and is required to assist the Data Standards Chair in their work.  

Principle four: time is short

To meet the stated timeframes for implementation, time is of the essence. As a result the process for setting the standards must be efficient and productive.

Principle five: iterative and agile

Standards development will be iterative. This is a new endeavour and there are likely to be changes that occur in the standards in response to real world experience. Changes to previous decisions to improve the standards will be accommodated in the process. This will be supported by regular publication of current drafts to encourage continuous feedback.