There have been ongoing considerations with the collection and use of data used for research and reporting of cancer impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (hereafter, respectfully Aboriginal) in Australia. This has included issues with the under identification of Aboriginal people within the data, a willingness to identify within the data as well as whether those data collected represent the views and understandings of Aboriginal peoples. Much of this is a systems issue, and there are a range of factors that contribute to Aboriginal people engaging, or not, within health services and specialist care that can have ongoing impacts on individual outcomes as well as population level research and reporting. The data that is collected and used to describe cancer and Aboriginal people therefore requires a broader discussion to better support self-determination and to identify and report on Aboriginal priorities in the data. Aboriginal people and communities have a fundamental right to:
Asserting the fundamental rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the use of data requires the design and implementation of a process that enables and incorporates Aboriginal culture, including values, understandings, and aspects of Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing. This talk will spotlight Indigenous Data Sovereignty and how it can better support the cancer journey for Aboriginal people.