Corporate governance
Our corporate governance reflects the legislative requirements we have to handle data, privacy, freedom of information and other policies and procedures.
Governance
In 2011, the Federal Parliament passed the National Health Reform Act 2011 (NHR Act) which established the Commission as a corporate Commonwealth entity under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act).
The Commission’s governance structure is determined by these Acts. The Commission is jointly funded by all governments on a cost sharing basis, and the Commission’s program of work is developed in consultation with the Australian, state and territory Health Ministers.
The Commission works in partnership with patients, healthcare professionals, policy makers and healthcare organisations to achieve a sustainable, safe and high-quality health system. The Commission’s strategic priorities are in the areas of:
- High-quality care in an evolving environment
- Strong outcome-focused clinical governance
- Empowered patients, carers and communities
- An improvement-driven workforce culture
The Commission’s planned activities are shaped by these four strategic priorities and align with the functions of the Commission set out in the NHR Act.
The Commission Board, appointed by the Minister for Health and Ageing, Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, is responsible for governing the Commission and meeting its functions and responsibilities under legislation. In undertaking its work, the Commission is supported by the Inter-Jurisdictional Committee, which is made up of senior safety and quality managers from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing, and each state and territory. In addition, the Board has established sub-committees in the form of the Private Hospital Sector Committee and Primary Care Committee that provide a valuable connection with representatives from the private and public sectors.
Program initiatives are informed by external advisory committees, working groups, public consultation and workshops. Major Commission proposals are forwarded to the Health Chief Executives Forum and the Health Ministers' Meeting. The Commission is situated in Sydney and is managed on a day-to-day basis by its CEO, Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan.
Data governance
The Commission has established a Data Governance Framework and Data Plan to govern the use of data.
The Commission’s Data Governance Framework specifies the obligations of the Commission with regard to data acquisition, maintenance, sharing/permissions, reporting and publication. The Data Governance Framework was developed in accordance with legislative requirements and formal agreements.
Disclosure of Interests Policy
The Commission has developed a Disclosure of Interests Policy. This policy assists in ensuring that the Commission complies with statutory obligations relating to disclosure of interests under the Commonwealth legislation by appropriately disclosing any material personal interests in a prescribed way.
The Disclosure of Interests Policy applies to all employees, contractors and consultants who have duties related to the operations and functions of the Commission.
The policy aims to: protect the integrity of the Commission; promote confidence in the work of the Commission; and to protect the reputation of the individuals and groups that contribute to the work of the Commission. The policy also provides a mechanism for individuals to disclose any and all interests that may conflict with the work of the Commission.
If you have any questions regarding the Disclosure of Interests Policy, please contact us on 02 9126 3600 or through email.
Freedom of Information (FOI)
The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) is to give members of the public rights of access to information held by the Government of the Commonwealth and of its agencies.
Privacy Impact Assessment Register
Under section 15(1) of the Privacy (Australian Government Agencies – Governance) APP Code 2017 (Privacy Code), the Commission is required to “maintain a register of the Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) it conducts. An agency must publish the register, or a version of the register, on its website”.
1 – Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS) Project
| Reference number | 1 |
|---|---|
| Project name | Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS) Project |
| Project description | The PaRIS survey is an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) initiative to promote people-centred health care, and its aim is to strengthen the measurement of patient-reported outcomes and experiences. The survey is focused on patients aged over 45 with one or more chronic condition in primary and ambulatory care. It includes both patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) and patient reported experience measures (PREMS). Examples of PROMS are ratings of peoples’ pain, physical functioning, and psychological well-being. Examples of PREMS are peoples’ experiences with healthcare, such as experienced waiting times and communication with healthcare providers. On top of the PROMS and PREMS, some background characteristics such as age, sex and the type of conditions will be collected to be used in data analysis. As well as a patient questionnaire, there will be a provider questionnaire to collect some practice and provider characteristics. The PaRIS Survey is being conducted by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), on behalf of the on Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. The Commission has engaged ORIMA Research to assist with implementation of the survey Australia-wide. The PaRIS project has also been reviewed and approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC reference number - 0012023). The Privacy Impact Assessment for the project considers how personal information is collected, managed, and protected; an assessment of compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles; and recommendations to mitigate any privacy impacts. |
| Project commencement date | April 2023 |
| Expected completion date | January 2024 |
2 – MedicineInsight
| Reference number | 2 |
|---|---|
| Project name | MedicineInsight |
| Project description | MedicineInsight is a national primary care data collection based on data extracted from the Clinical Information Software at participating General Practices. Data are deidentified and encrypted as part of the extraction process, and stored in a secure Australian based data warehouse. The data are subsequently used in three main ways:
The collection of data from General Practices and the use of that data for research purposes have been reviewed and approved by the RACGP NREEC (Ref NREEC 23-171). A Privacy Impact Assessment for the program was undertaken in 2021 under the prior data custodian NPS MedicineWise. The program was transferred to the Commission in January 2023, and supplementary PIA advice was sought in 2025. These assessments examined how the collection manages and protects data in line with Australian legislation including the Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles, and provided recommendations to strengthen the integrity of the program. These recommendations have been or are being actioned as appropriate. |
| Project commencement date | January 2023 |
| Expected completion date | Ongoing |
Privacy Policy
The Commission is committed to the protection of personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act). The Commission aims to ensure that all personal information is managed in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act.
The Commission is also committed to ensuring that the statistical healthcare datasets accessed pursuant to our functions under the National Health Reform Act 2011 and the National Health Reform Agreement is managed in a manner which is generally consistent with the APPs, as well as state and territory privacy laws and healthcare regulations.
The most up to date versions of both the Privacy Act and National Health Reform Act 2011 are available from Comlaw.
The National Health Reform Agreement is available from COAG. The Commission is also a signatory to the National Health Information Agreement.
Information collected on this website
When you visit our website, our server makes a record of your visit and logs the following non-identifiable information for statistical, quality improvement or systems administration purposes:
- your server address
- your top level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc)
- the date and time of your visit to the site
- the pages you accessed and documents downloaded
- the previous site you have visited
- the type of browser you are using.
No attempt will be made to identify individual users unless required under Australian law or a tribunal/court order.
We collect no personal information about you unless you choose to take part in an activity that asks for personal information, such as subscribing to a newsletter, sending an email or participating in a survey. If you choose not to take part in these kinds of activities your ability to use the website won’t be affected.
Hotjar and Google Analytics
This website uses two web analytics services: Hotjar and Google Analytics.
Hotjar may record mouse clicks, mouse movements and scrolling activity. Hotjar collects non-identifiable information regarding pages visited, actions which are taken, country of origin, device used, operating system, and browser used. Hotjar does not collect personally identifiable information that you do not voluntarily enter in this website. Hotjar does not track your browsing habits across web sites which do not use Hotjar services.
Google Analytics uses cookies and JavaScript code to enable analysis on usage of this website. The data collected about your use of this website, (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored on Google's servers. Google will use this data for the purpose of compiling reports on website activity for us and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage.
Google will not collect personal information about you and the reports provided by Google to us will only contain aggregate non personal data about your use of this website (these reports may contain data relating to pages viewed, files downloaded or the completion of online subscriptions).
Google may transfer this data to third parties where required to do so by law, or where third parties process this data on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any personal information you may have previously provided to Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. Please note that if you do this, you may not be able to fully use this website.
By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Hotjar and Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.
Public Interest Disclosure Policy and Procedures
The Commission has established its policy and procedures for dealing with Public Interest Disclosures. Disclosures can be directed to an Authorised Officer, appointed under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (PID Act).
The Commission's Chief Executive Officer has appointed the following staff members as the Commission's Authorised Officers:
The PID Act prescribes a framework for the disclosure and investigation of wrongdoing and maladministration in the Australian Public Sector (APS). The Commission encourages and supports the reporting of wrongdoings in the APS so that they can be investigated and addressed.
View our Public Interest Disclosure Policy and Procedures
AI transparency statement
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s (the Commission) commitment to the safe and responsible use of AI supports our purpose to contribute to better health outcomes and experiences for all patients and consumers, and improved value and sustainability in the health system by leading and coordinating national improvements in the safety and quality of health care.
The Digital Transformation Agency’s (DTA) Policy for the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in government sets a framework for the Australian Government’s safe, responsible, adoption and use of AI. Along with the Standard for AI transparency statements and Interim guidance on government use of public generative AI tools.
How we use AI
The Commission uses Microsoft Copilot in a protected environment, for generative and narrow model AI in line with the DTA’s Classification systems for use as below:
- for analysing data to gain insights
- support for internal document creation and refinement
- graphic design for public facing communication materials (e.g. website)
These use-cases are to realise greater efficiency and increase workplace productivity. This allows staff to focus on more complex and meaningful work.
The domains the Commission uses AI in include scientific, corporate and enabling and service delivery.
Our approach with AI
A human will assess all AI outputs to ensure accuracy. We will not use AI for decision making purposes.
The Commission is not using AI applications where the public can directly interact with or be impacted by AI. This transparency statement will be revised this approach changes.
Our commitment
The Commission is committed to using AI in a responsible and transparent way and upholding our privacy principles. Our AI initiatives will align with the APS values and have the publics’ best interest at heart. We will continue to work closely with the DTA and use AI in accordance with applicable:
- legislation
- regulations
- frameworks
- policies
- best practice.
Safe and responsible AI adoption
We will be transparent as we adopt responsibly the evolving AI technology and policy requirements. The Commission has developed an internal AI policy and guidance material.
These will align with the DTA’s Policy, advice and guidance on the safe, responsible and ethical use of AI. We will make sure our policies meet the proposed mandatory guardrails for AI in high-risk settings that are underway by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
We will leverage whole of Australian Government policies and develop internal policies and guidance materials when necessary for:
- AI Governance and approval processes
- acceptable use of AI at the Commission
- ethical considerations
- Freedom of Information (FOI) considerations
- record keeping
- security, procurement of AI systems
- risk mitigation and technical guardrails
- roles and responsibilities when using AI and required training for identified roles.
These internal policies will apply to all employees (including contractors) and consultants.
We will update this transparency statement as the Commission continues to develop policies on AI usage and to implement AI technology.
Contact
The Chief Information Officer is our AI Accountable Official for the Commission.
For questions about this statement or the Commission’s use of AI, you can contact our AI Accountable Official at ACSQHCICT@safetyandquality.gov.au