Inside Daniel Andrews’ new “Big Brother”-style data agency, he tried to keep it a secret

Victorians are being monitored by a new secret government agency that collects sensitive and private data and reports directly to Prime Minister Daniel Andrews.

The high-tech data agency was launched in August 2020 amid the Covid pandemic but will continue to operate at a pace the opposition say is deeply troubling.

Insights Victoria looked at how residents spend their money, their social media presence, and their physical and mental health.

The agency reportedly received $4.4 million in the Victorian State Government’s last budget and will continue to report to the Prime Minister, the Sunday Herald Sun reported.

It is understood that the Agency uses publicly available information as well as “sensitive” data that is updated seven days a week.

Opposition Treasury Department spokesman David Davis likened the system to a “dystopian society”.

“Andrews has more power than Big Brother in the new Insights Victoria, with its intrusive and powerful deep-dive IT system that monitors every digital step Victorians take and cross-tabulates their personal details,” said Mr Davis.

Victorians can have their sensitive information monitored by the government through a high-tech data agency set up during the Covid pandemic

“It really has the feel of a dystopian society, where one man and his office hold overwhelming power, backed by access to unprecedented flows of personal information.

“These are facts and information that Daniel Andrews would have preferred to keep secret.”

The agency only came to prominence after a Freedom of Information request, which the government tried to deny.

The site says the data comes from multiple platforms, including “departments across the WoVG” (Whole-of-Victorian-Government).

Various levels of government personnel were reportedly granted either full or limited access to the data. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has full access.

People who have access to the system can download and export the data from the provided maps or charts.

The Victorian Government set up a data analysis department to gauge public sentiment during the pandemic

A note informing staff about the agency in September 2020 said the system would have a “behaviour and sentiments” section covering “social media sentiment and behavior and attitude surveys” in relation to Covid.

The notice also said the system could “evolve to support cross-portfolio decision-making beyond Covid-19.”

“Insights Victoria was developed to meet the near-term data needs of Covid, but also to be a long-term platform for delivering all of the Victorian Government’s real-time data, analysis and intelligence,” the document reads.

A government spokesman said Insights Victoria “purchases anonymized datasets from private sector partners to provide government insights”.

“The data provided is not market-sensitive and anonymous,” said the spokesman.