The Department of Social Services (DSS) on behalf of the Australian Government undertakes research and policy development to support its objectives of building the capacity and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities.

To support its objectives, DSS funds a number of longitudinal studies for research purposes and to inform Australian Government policy.

DSS will provide access to the nominated Dataset only if the individual requesting access undertakes to comply with the Terms and Conditions of Use outlined in this document.

Individuals must accurately identify themselves when interacting with any entity or technology supporting access to DSS funded longitudinal data. Applications must accurately reflect the intended use of the Dataset. DSS either directly or through an entity delivering services on its behalf, may seek to verify an applicant’s identity and/or confirm the intended use of the Dataset.

Access, Use and Storage

1. The Authorised User must acknowledge they hold a position of trust when accessing, using and storing the nominated Dataset.

2. The Authorised User must not:

1. copy, send or provide the Dataset to non-authorised individuals
2. publish any research materials that could result in individuals in the Dataset being identified
   1. Authorised Users must apply data confidentialisation or suppression techniques where the count refers to between one (1) and four (4) people
   2. In addition to suppressing cells with values less than five, surrounding cells will need to be suppressed where it is possible to derive the suppressed cell’s count. This is done to prevent the disclosure of a primary suppressed cell
   3. Authorised Users may choose a greater threshold if appropriate
3. perform any matching, sharing, merging or linkage of any Dataset or Unit Record Data with any other data without the prior written consent of DSS
4. attempt to identify any individual in the Dataset
5. use the ACARA My School institution level data (LSAC only) to calculate or publish material which ranks schools or creates league tables
6. re-publish any Unit Record Data or any part of the Dataset other than to directly quote free text responses on the basis that such usage does not reasonably identify any individual.
1. Quotes may be accompanied by relevant Unit Record Data such as age or occupation if these details are required for meaningful interpretation but the Unit Record Data used must be the minimum required for the research purpose and must not identify any individual.
2. For example, it is acceptable to report that ‘One mother who has a Bachelor degree commented “I want him to go to university and have a good career”’ but it is not acceptable to report that ‘One mother, who works as a Professor of Indigenous Studies at a university, commented “I want him to go to university and have a good career”.

3. The Authorised User must only use the nominated Dataset for the primary purpose specified in the application form and must obtain written approval from DSS before using the Dataset for any other purpose.

4. The Authorised User acknowledges they have obtained and read the Data User Guide for Department of Social Services Longitudinal Datasets (the Guide) and they:

1. understand each of the obligations set out in the Guide; and
2. will comply with each of the obligations in the Guide.

5. If the Authorised User is unable or unwilling to comply with the obligations set out in these Terms and Conditions of Use, or in the Guide, the Authorised User must immediately notify DSS and destroy, without limitation, all documents containing any Dataset or Unit Record Data in the possession, custody or control of the Authorised User.

6. In the event that these Terms and Conditions of Use are inconsistent with the Guide, these Terms and Conditions of Use will prevail to the extent of any inconsistency.

7. DSS may amend these Terms and Conditions of Use from time to time at its absolute discretion and notify Authorised Users.

8. Only the Authorised User may view and access the Unit Record Data from the Dataset.

9. The Authorised User acknowledges and agrees to immediately notify DSS via email at ncld@dss.gov.au if the Authorised User becomes aware of any unauthorised access to, or use or disclosure of, any Dataset or Unit Record Data.

10. The Authorised User agrees to notify DSS of, and co-operate with DSS, ADA or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in the resolution of, any complaint alleging an interference with privacy.

11. The Authorised User must ensure that they include in any Research Material the acknowledgement text provided in the latest version of the Guide.

12. The Authorised User must only store the Dataset in the following methods:

1. On a cloud server which has been awarded Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) certification to provide cloud services; or
2. On a secure network; or
3. On a password protected removable drive; or
4. On a local drive on password protected PC or laptop.

13. The Data Storage requirements outlined in the Guide must be adhered to at all times.

14. At the point of downloading data files the Authorised User’s IP address will be captured as a point of verification of location. Authorised Users in some locations, or unspecified locations, will not be permitted to download data files without further verification.

15. For the purposes of data access, or to facilitate ongoing user support, including responding to user queries, Authorised User’s email addresses may be provided to DSS study partners:

1. Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (HILDA).
2. Australian Institute of Family Studies (LSAC and BNLA).

Supporting legislation

16. The Authorised User acknowledges that unauthorised disclosure of information held by the Australian Government is subject to the sanction of criminal law under section 79 of the Crimes Act 1914.

17. The Authorised User agrees to comply with the law in force in the Australian Capital Territory (Australia), including but not limited to:

1. Social Security Act 1991;
2. Social Security (Administration) Act 1999;
3. Criminal Code Act 1995; and
4. Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act).

18. The Authorised User agrees to have regard to the provisions of the Privacy Act, including the Australian Privacy Principles.

19. The Australian Government and the ADA shall not be held responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the material supplied, including any Research Materials and any Replication Materials.

20. The Authorised User agrees that the Australian Government owns all Intellectual Property rights in the Dataset.

Research and Replication Materials

21. The Authorised User must upload to the NCLD Research Materials Dataverse, and make publicly accessible under permissive copyright (CC – BY 3.0 AU license), any Research Materials produced by the Authorised User using the Dataset within 30 days of being publicly available (noting exceptions in Clauses 23 and 29).

22. The Authorised User agrees to upload to the NCLD Research Materials Dataverse, and make publicly accessible, any Replication Materials as specified in the DSS replication materials protocol described in the Guide within 30 days of research findings being publicly available (noting exceptions in Clauses 23 and 29).

23. It is acknowledged that research conducted for the purpose of internal administration of Australian Government agencies or for confidential business purposes of the Australian Government is not always made public, and in such instances would be exempt from clauses 21 and 22.

Authorised Training Activities

24. Instructors can only deliver Authorised Training Activities on the written agreement of DSS. An Instructor must be an Authorised User.

25. An Instructor may copy or reproduce a Dataset to create a Training Dataset for Authorised Training Activities, but may not copy or reproduce the source data for any other reasons (e.g. provide a copy of the source Dataset to an unauthorised person).

26. Instructors may provide a copy of the Training Dataset to Students undertaking Authorised Training Activities. A Student must be an Authorised User.

27. Students undertaking Authorised Training Activities must only access and use the Training Dataset at the venue at which with the training is being conducted and will not in any circumstances copy or transcribe the Training Dataset, or allow the Training Dataset to be copied or transcribed.

28. Students must not without appropriate oversight from an Instructor, and with the written agreement of DSS:

1. Perform any matching, sharing, merging or linkage of any Dataset with any other dataset; or
2. Retain any copy of the Unit Record Data at the conclusion of the course.

29. Instructors and Students must not:

1. Attempt to identify any individuals in the Dataset;
2. Publish in any form any part of the source Dataset or any training datasets; or
3. Publish any research or analysis based on the source Dataset, except on the written agreement of DSS for inclusion in training materials only.

• ADA means the Australian Data Archive, a department of the Australian National University, the entity which stores and manages access to the nominated Dataset on behalf of DSS.
• Authorised User means an individual who has undertaken to comply with these Terms and Conditions of Use and has been given permission by DSS to have access to, and sole use of, a nominated Dataset for the purpose specified in their application.
• Authorised Training Activities means training modules that have been approved by DSS.
• Dataset means data and supporting materials relating to a longitudinal study that DSS authorises for publication on Dataverse, with a singular Digital Object Identifier (DOI).
• Dataverse means the online data access platform managed by the ADA.
• Instructor means any person who is responsible for delivering Authorised Training Activities that use any Dataset (or sub-set thereof).
• Position of Trust means an Authorised User who at all times abides by the clauses set out in these Terms and Conditions of Use.
• Research Material means any publicly available research output, including non-traditional research output (such as conference presenations), that utilises a Dataset. Please refer to the Guide for full details.
• Replication Material means all material required to execute the statistical analyses or simulations that constitute the research results, specifically the code and supporting documentation that computes the publicly available results. Please refer to the Guide for full details.
• Student means any person attending Authorised Training Activities that uses any Dataset (or sub-set thereof).
• Training Dataset means a modified Dataset in order to demonstrate data analysis, such as creating new derived data items, aggregating or manipulating data to create a ‘Training Dataset’.
• Unit Record Data means individual data records in a dataset including individual responses to questions, observations on an individual or linked personal records from another dataset.

The Department of Social Services (DSS) on behalf of the Australian Government undertakes research and policy development to support its objectives of building the capacity and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities.

To support its objectives, DSS funds a number of longitudinal studies for research purposes and to inform Australian Government policy.

DSS will provide access to the nominated Dataset only if the individual requesting access undertakes to comply with the Terms and Conditions of Use outlined in this document.

Individuals must accurately identify themselves when interacting with any entity or technology supporting access to DSS funded longitudinal data. Applications must accurately reflect the intended use of the Dataset. DSS either directly or through an entity delivering services on its behalf, may seek to verify an applicant’s identity and/or confirm the intended use of the Dataset.

Access, Use and Storage

1. The Authorised User must acknowledge they hold a position of trust when accessing, using and storing the nominated Dataset.

2. The Authorised User must not:

1. copy, send or provide the Dataset to non-authorised individuals
2. publish any research materials that could result in individuals in the Dataset being identified
   1. Authorised Users must apply data confidentialisation or suppression techniques where the count refers to between one (1) and four (4) people
   2. In addition to suppressing cells with values less than five, surrounding cells will need to be suppressed where it is possible to derive the suppressed cell’s count. This is done to prevent the disclosure of a primary suppressed cell
   3. Authorised Users may choose a greater threshold if appropriate
3. perform any matching, sharing, merging or linkage of any Dataset or Unit Record Data with any other data without the prior written consent of DSS
4. attempt to identify any individual in the Dataset
5. use the ACARA My School institution level data (LSAC only) to calculate or publish material which ranks schools or creates league tables
6. re-publish any Unit Record Data or any part of the Dataset other than to directly quote free text responses on the basis that such usage does not reasonably identify any individual.
1. Quotes may be accompanied by relevant Unit Record Data such as age or occupation if these details are required for meaningful interpretation but the Unit Record Data used must be the minimum required for the research purpose and must not identify any individual.
2. For example, it is acceptable to report that ‘One mother who has a Bachelor degree commented “I want him to go to university and have a good career”’ but it is not acceptable to report that ‘One mother, who works as a Professor of Indigenous Studies at a university, commented “I want him to go to university and have a good career”.

3. The Authorised User must only use the nominated Dataset for the primary purpose specified in the application form and must obtain written approval from DSS before using the Dataset for any other purpose.

4. The Authorised User acknowledges they have obtained and read the Data User Guide for Department of Social Services Longitudinal Datasets (the Guide) and they:

1. understand each of the obligations set out in the Guide; and
2. will comply with each of the obligations in the Guide.

5. If the Authorised User is unable or unwilling to comply with the obligations set out in these Terms and Conditions of Use, or in the Guide, the Authorised User must immediately notify DSS and destroy, without limitation, all documents containing any Dataset or Unit Record Data in the possession, custody or control of the Authorised User.

6. In the event that these Terms and Conditions of Use are inconsistent with the Guide, these Terms and Conditions of Use will prevail to the extent of any inconsistency.

7. DSS may amend these Terms and Conditions of Use from time to time at its absolute discretion and notify Authorised Users.

8. Only the Authorised User may view and access the Unit Record Data from the Dataset.

9. The Authorised User acknowledges and agrees to immediately notify DSS via email at ncld@dss.gov.au if the Authorised User becomes aware of any unauthorised access to, or use or disclosure of, any Dataset or Unit Record Data.

10. The Authorised User agrees to notify DSS of, and co-operate with DSS, ADA or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in the resolution of, any complaint alleging an interference with privacy.

11. The Authorised User must ensure that they include in any Research Material the acknowledgement text provided in the latest version of the Guide.

12. The Authorised User must only store the Dataset in the following methods:

1. On a cloud server which has been awarded Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) certification to provide cloud services; or
2. On a secure network; or
3. On a password protected removable drive; or
4. On a local drive on password protected PC or laptop.

13. The Data Storage requirements outlined in the Guide must be adhered to at all times.

14. At the point of downloading data files the Authorised User’s IP address will be captured as a point of verification of location. Authorised Users in some locations, or unspecified locations, will not be permitted to download data files without further verification.

15. For the purposes of data access, or to facilitate ongoing user support, including responding to user queries, Authorised User’s email addresses may be provided to DSS study partners:

1. Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (HILDA).
2. Australian Institute of Family Studies (LSAC and BNLA).

Supporting legislation

16. The Authorised User acknowledges that unauthorised disclosure of information held by the Australian Government is subject to the sanction of criminal law under section 79 of the Crimes Act 1914.

17. The Authorised User agrees to comply with the law in force in the Australian Capital Territory (Australia), including but not limited to:

1. Social Security Act 1991;
2. Social Security (Administration) Act 1999;
3. Criminal Code Act 1995; and
4. Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act).

18. The Authorised User agrees to have regard to the provisions of the Privacy Act, including the Australian Privacy Principles.

19. The Australian Government and the ADA shall not be held responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the material supplied, including any Research Materials and any Replication Materials.

20. The Authorised User agrees that the Australian Government owns all Intellectual Property rights in the Dataset.

Research and Replication Materials

21. The Authorised User must upload to the NCLD Research Materials Dataverse, and make publicly accessible under permissive copyright (CC – BY 3.0 AU license), any Research Materials produced by the Authorised User using the Dataset within 30 days of being publicly available (noting exceptions in Clauses 23 and 29).

22. The Authorised User agrees to upload to the NCLD Research Materials Dataverse, and make publicly accessible, any Replication Materials as specified in the DSS replication materials protocol described in the Guide within 30 days of research findings being publicly available (noting exceptions in Clauses 23 and 29).

23. It is acknowledged that research conducted for the purpose of internal administration of Australian Government agencies or for confidential business purposes of the Australian Government is not always made public, and in such instances would be exempt from clauses 21 and 22.

Authorised Training Activities

24. Instructors can only deliver Authorised Training Activities on the written agreement of DSS. An Instructor must be an Authorised User.

25. An Instructor may copy or reproduce a Dataset to create a Training Dataset for Authorised Training Activities, but may not copy or reproduce the source data for any other reasons (e.g. provide a copy of the source Dataset to an unauthorised person).

26. Instructors may provide a copy of the Training Dataset to Students undertaking Authorised Training Activities. A Student must be an Authorised User.

27. Students undertaking Authorised Training Activities must only access and use the Training Dataset at the venue at which with the training is being conducted and will not in any circumstances copy or transcribe the Training Dataset, or allow the Training Dataset to be copied or transcribed.

28. Students must not without appropriate oversight from an Instructor, and with the written agreement of DSS:

1. Perform any matching, sharing, merging or linkage of any Dataset with any other dataset; or
2. Retain any copy of the Unit Record Data at the conclusion of the course.

29. Instructors and Students must not:

1. Attempt to identify any individuals in the Dataset;
2. Publish in any form any part of the source Dataset or any training datasets; or
3. Publish any research or analysis based on the source Dataset, except on the written agreement of DSS for inclusion in training materials only.

• ADA means the Australian Data Archive, a department of the Australian National University, the entity which stores and manages access to the nominated Dataset on behalf of DSS.
• Authorised User means an individual who has undertaken to comply with these Terms and Conditions of Use and has been given permission by DSS to have access to, and sole use of, a nominated Dataset for the purpose specified in their application.
• Authorised Training Activities means training modules that have been approved by DSS.
• Dataset means data and supporting materials relating to a longitudinal study that DSS authorises for publication on Dataverse, with a singular Digital Object Identifier (DOI).
• Dataverse means the online data access platform managed by the ADA.
• Instructor means any person who is responsible for delivering Authorised Training Activities that use any Dataset (or sub-set thereof).
• Position of Trust means an Authorised User who at all times abides by the clauses set out in these Terms and Conditions of Use.
• Research Material means any publicly available research output, including non-traditional research output (such as conference presenations), that utilises a Dataset. Please refer to the Guide for full details.
• Replication Material means all material required to execute the statistical analyses or simulations that constitute the research results, specifically the code and supporting documentation that computes the publicly available results. Please refer to the Guide for full details.
• Student means any person attending Authorised Training Activities that uses any Dataset (or sub-set thereof).
• Training Dataset means a modified Dataset in order to demonstrate data analysis, such as creating new derived data items, aggregating or manipulating data to create a ‘Training Dataset’.
• Unit Record Data means individual data records in a dataset including individual responses to questions, observations on an individual or linked personal records from another dataset.