I actually call data linkage the new frontier … Because it’s a way in which we can extract more value from existing data. We can collect or compile new statistics, new data insights from existing data without expanding on the respondent burden and without going through difficult data collection costs. I think there’s a lot more insight that can be drawn from existing data using data linkage. ... We are in this quandary where we’re awash with data; they still say we need more data. Which is probably true in some instances, but we also need to use existing data better as well. (Expert #9)

These insights come from a leader responsible for harnessing big data, at a time when the opportunities and challenges are still evolving. The shifting terrain of this “new frontier” in data linkage is characterised by recent rapid growth in digital technologies and computer capabilities. Consequently, big data have become valuable, both as a resource and a commodity (Fisher & Layman, 2018). The commoditisation of big data is now recognised as an integral part of public and private enterprise (de Souza, 2014); the Australian Information Commissioner reports that “Data held by the Australian Government is a valuable national resource that can yield significant benefits for the Australian people when handled appropriately, and in the public interest” (Falk, 2019: 1). The same forces are at work globally, with the European Strategy Centre referring to big data as, “the lifeblood of the global economy” (European Commission, 2017: 1). A recent World Economic Forum report on Data collaboration for the common good notes that organisations are linking and connecting diverse datasets at an accelerating pace to create value, and this is the key factor influencing the global economy (World Economic Forum, 2019: 8).