The role of access categories

Access categories allow you to apply an easily understood label to your data that communicates (in broad terms) how widely available it is.

These labels feature prominently on your published dataset as part of the Access & Use Information, and through a series of easily recognisable “padlock icons” associated with specific resources on your dataset.

Access Categories

	Open	This dataset is available for use by everyone
	Open – Login	This dataset is available for use by everyone - login required
	Fees Apply	This dataset is available for use subject to payment
	Restricted	This dataset is available for use subject to approval
	Government Use Only	This dataset is available for government use only
	Mixed	A variety of access levels apply to this dataset's resources

Reference: For a more in-depth explanation of the different access categories, refer to our Understanding access to data article.

Note: These categories are not a replacement for any existing departmental information classification policies. They have been designed to complement future work at a whole-of-government level to harmonise the State Government’s approach to data and information classification.

When should I choose “Mixed Access”?

The Mixed access category is intended for use on datasets that have multiple versions of the data available across multiple types of access categories.

For example, it would be appropriate to choose the Mixed access category when:

Checklist

1. You have chosen to publish a version of your data for widespread use that removes sensitive attributes from the data (for example, internal asset identifiers) or have degraded the quality of the data (for example, publishing a simple visual representation of the data that limits access to the raw data).
   
   These can be safely published for public consumption and labelled with the Open access category.
2. Alongside these you have published the full version of your dataset (with all attributes included) in a restricted form, and labelled it with the Restricted or Government Use Only access category.

Tip: If you are publishing supporting documents (such as data dictionaries or extended metadata guides) alongside your data, these should be made easily available and labelled as Open. The Mixed access category is for describing access to the data itself.

Resource access categories

In publishing a dataset, you will attach one or more resources to it – a resource can be the data itself, supporting documents, or links to other websites.

In publishing each resource, you will need to choose the access category that is most appropriate for it.

For example, supporting documents and samples of data that don’t contain sensitive information are safe to publish using the Open access category.

Important: Choosing an access category doesn't automatically secure or restrict access to your data – it is just a visual label. You will still need to secure access to any resources attached to it yourself.

Tip: If you are publishing geospatial data through the Shared Location Information Platform (SLIP) the access controls you choose through the Data Upload Tool (DUT) will automatically be applied.