A special data ethics committee has been set up to advise the Queensland local government sector.

The three-person expert panel is intended to help councils find the best way to ensure that the principles of trust and transparency guide the management and use of data.

Chaired by digital change specialist and former editor-in-chief of the Courier-Mail David Fagan, the committee was formed by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) to help navigate the ethical and accountability expectations inherent in good data management.

The other members of the committee are Queensland Council of Social Service chief executive officer Mark Henley and Holding Redlich partner Andrew Hynd, who has extensive experience in information technology and communications.

LGAQ chief executive Greg Hallam said the committee will be a crucial to ensuring local government in Queensland leads the way on data ethics.

“This is all about strengthening trust between local councils and the communities they represent,” he said.

He said the committee would meet within weeks to begin its work, and continue meeting regularly to monitor the implementation of a framework putting ethics at the centre of data management across the local government sector.