WA makes its chief data officer permanent

The Western Australian government has made Natalia Kacperek its permanent chief data officer after two years acting in the role.

Kacperek’s permanent appointment was made possible by provisions in the Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing Act 2024 now in effect.

While in an acting capacity, Kacperek established PeopleWA, “an asset which links data from multiple agencies to inform research and government decision making”.

She was also responsible “for driving the development of the AI policy and assurance framework” in the state.

As permanent data chief, Kacperek “will foster public sector capability building to responsibly share information that will improve community outcomes,” the government said in a statement.

Science and Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson said that Kacperek’s “extensive expertise in data sharing and artificial intelligence governance will be instrumental in strengthening our public sector’s ability to responsibly harness information”.

“In today’s digital age, safeguarding the privacy and security of personal data is paramount,” he said.

“Kacperek will ensure that all information sharing across government agencies strictly adheres to international best practice.”