First Nations Data Governance & Sovereignty

Name: First Nations Data Governance & Sovereignty
Start: 2026-11-11
End: 2026-11-12
Location: Kathleen Fitzpatrick Theatre, University of Melbourne

Embedding First Nations Data Governance & Sovereignty in Systems, Policy & Practice - Indigenous Data Our Way

Attendees

Speakers

Advisory board members

Networking activities

Professor Marcia Langton AO, Convenor, Indigenous Data Network — Professor Marcia Langton AO
Convenor, Indigenous Data Network

Letter from the Convenor

Indigenous data must be managed our way.

On behalf of the Indigenous Data Network, I am delighted to welcome you to this inaugural gathering dedicated to a fundamental pillar of self-determination: Embedding First Nations Data Governance & Sovereignty in Systems, Policy & Practice.

This forum brings together community leaders, policymakers, practitioners and technologists from across the nation. Together, we stand behind a simple, non-negotiable right: Indigenous data must be managed our way. Data is not a passive resource to be extracted; it is an extension of our inherent sovereignty, holding our stories, our ancestral knowledge and our future.

Over the next two days, we will focus on action — addressing how emerging technologies like AI can exploit or misrepresent cultural knowledge without proper safeguards, and strengthening community capability to manage our own data ecosystems.

Read the full letter

PARTNERSHIP & BURSARY OPPORTUNITIES

Fund a seat for the communities whose data this is.

Indigenous Data Our Way brings together the people who build and govern First Nations data collections, alongside the leaders of the community-controlled organisations that own them.

Our partnerships are bursary-led. The majority of what you pay funds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community delegates to attend, and you receive a written Community Impact Report you can lodge against your Reconciliation Action Plan commitments.

View partnership and bursary packages

Supporting Partner

The Indigenous Data Network

The Indigenous Data Commons

The Indigenous Data Commons, built by the Indigenous Data Network, is a national, shared digital infrastructure that advances Indigenous authority, governance and benefit in the management of Indigenous data. It provides a trusted environment where data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are governed by Indigenous owners and used in ways that align with Indigenous priorities, rights and wellbeing.

Through its federated online platform, the Indigenous Data Commons enables Indigenous custodians to find, describe, manage and share data without relinquishing local or community control — preserving decentralised governance while upholding legal rights and cultural protocols.

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