Overview
The Open Government ACT API provides free access to open datasets from the Australian Capital Territory government, covering areas like transport, environment, health, and planning in the Canberra region. No API key is required, making it easy for beginners to start exploring Australian government data. It follows the CKAN open data platform standard, which is used by governments worldwide.
Beginner Tip
The ACT Open Data portal runs on the CKAN platform, so you can use the standard CKAN API at data.act.gov.au/api/3/action/ to search and retrieve datasets programmatically. Try the package_list action first to see all available dataset names.
Available Data
The kind of data this API exposes, based on its documentation. We could not call the endpoint to confirm the exact field names.
Example Response
Illustrative shape only — we were not able to call this endpoint (it requires credentials or exposes no public sample URL), so the fields below show the kind of data this API returns rather than a recorded response.
{
"status": "success",
"data": {
"result": "Data from Open Government, ACT",
"description": "Australian Capital Territory Open Data",
"timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
}
} Field Reference
success Indicates whether the API action was executed successfully result.results Array of dataset (package) objects matching the search query title Human-readable name of the dataset resources Array of downloadable resource files associated with the dataset, each with a url and format field organization.title Name of the ACT government agency that published the dataset Implementation Example
Calls a real endpoint of this API. Replace any placeholder credentials with your own key.
const url = "https://www.data.act.gov.au/api/3/action/package_search?q=traffic&rows=5";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data); What Can You Build?
Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.
Common Errors & Troubleshooting
Generated guidance based on this API's documentation, not observed by us. Treat it as a starting point and check against the provider's own error reference.
Metadata Score Breakdown
Estimated from metadata — endpoint not independently tested
Metadata estimate · endpoint not independently tested
Technical Specifications
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