Applying for PeopleWA data

Please refer to the PeopleWA data catalogue to view all available datasets and their time coverage.

Next, visit the resource centre in the application system to access the:

• Technical specification form to outline your data request. 
• Application tips to help you complete your application.
• Price estimate calculator to estimate project costs.

Understand our costing model

There is no charge for submitting a PeopleWA application, regardless of the outcome.

Access to approved subsets of PeopleWA data for analysis is provided via an e-research platform administered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) called the Secure Environment for Accessing Data (SEAD). A usage fee applies to non-government projects, with the cost based on how much you use the platform. Costs are billed retrospectively every six months or for the duration of access to the platform, whichever is shorter.

You can download the price estimate calculator from the PeopleWA application system to estimate pricing or request a cost estimate from the PeopleWA team. See the platform pricing page for further details.

Consider your workspace and software needs

Your data will be accessed through a secure e-research platform. You will need to consider what specifications you require in this platform based on your analytical and computing needs. Each analyst is allocated a unique workspace within their project and, for most projects, we recommend selecting either the medium or large workspace plans. The full list of available plans and technical details is available here.

Please also refer to the list of software available within your environment and consider whether these meet your requirements. Note that PeopleWA does not offer SAS or Databricks. Requests for any custom software will need to be assessed by the ABS.

If you have an enquiry regarding software and software versioning, please contact the ABS directly: Contact us | Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

Team membership and data access

Only project members named in the application as an ‘analyst’ that have signed the PeopleWA terms and conditions will be given a workspace in the e-research platform. If you need to provide another person with access to the unit-record project data, a project amendment needs to be submitted to PeopleWA via the online application system, and their role listed as “analyst”.

Need assistance?

If you have questions or would like to meet, contact us at peoplewa@dpc.wa.gov.au or call +61 8 6552 6728.

Step 1: PeopleWA team review

Following your submission of the technical specifications form and application form, the PeopleWA team reviews the technical feasibility of your application and may provide feedback. Reviews occur weekly. You can update your application within the application system based on any feedback you receive.

Step 2: Data custodian review

Data custodians review your application against legislative requirements and the Five Safes framework. Feedback may be provided, and you can update your application accordingly. You may be invited to present your project to the PeopleWA Governance Group during this stage to assist with custodian review.

If endorsed by custodians:

• Research Projects receive in-principle approval, pending Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval (Step 3).
• Service/Quality Improvement Projects receive formal approval (Step 4).

Step 3: Ethical and governance approval

All research projects must be approved by an accredited HREC. If your project involves Department of Health data, you must also obtain approval from the WA Health HREC, in accordance with its Research Governance Framework. This is facilitated via the Research Governance Service.

To support HREC approvals, the Office of Digital Government (DGov) will provide a letter of feasibility and a PeopleWA-specific data management plan. You must upload both documents alongside the approved PeopleWA application form and technical specifications form for HREC approval.

Once you email proof of your ethics approval to the PeopleWA team, DGov will seek formal approval for your project from data custodians (step 4).

Step 4: Formal approval

Once all data custodians relevant to your data request have granted formal approval you will receive an approval letter via email. This letter will confirm your approved datasets and include the PeopleWA terms and conditions for digital signing by each project member.

After your application is approved, the PeopleWA team will meet with your project team before onboarding them to the e-research platform. Analysts will be contacted directly to arrange access to their respective workspace.

Terms and conditions

All project team members must sign and return the PeopleWA terms and conditions provided for your approved project before data access can be arranged and granted for analysts.

Import requests

All requests to bring external assets – such as contextual data, code, or concordance files – into the platform must be reviewed and approved by the PeopleWA team for security purposes. Please identify these assets (if known) when submitting your application. You can download and complete the import request form from the application system.

Export requests

All exports must be approved by the PeopleWA team to protect privacy and security. Please consider that processing times will vary depending on the size, complexity, and current volume of requests. You can download and complete the export request form from the application system.

Publication requests

As outlined in the PeopleWA terms and conditions, all publications must be reviewed by data custodians who approved the data used in the publication before you share them outside your project team. This includes:

• Analysis reports
• Draft journal articles
• Presentations
• Website content

How to submit a publication request:

1. Before submitting a publication request, you must first lodge an export request so that  any aggregated data, results, or information derived from analyses conducted in the e-research platform can be reviewed.
2. Download and complete the publication request form from the resource centre in the application system and email it and the draft publication to PeopleWA@dpc.wa.gov.au. 
3. PeopleWA and data custodians will review the submitted materials (this requires at least 10 business days).
4. You will be notified once your publication is cleared for release, or whether you are required to make changes.

PhD theses will take longer to review. We encourage students to plan ahead.