[Purpose/significance] In order to understand the situation of research data policies formulated by Australian universities, so as to offer reference to the establishment and implementation of research data policies in Chinese universities. [Method/process] This paper took the collected 27 research data policies as sample, analyzed these policies’ general information (including policy maker, effective date and the revision cycle), the policies’ main content (including policy preamble, policy scope, definitions, roles and responsibilities, data management plan, data ownership, data storage and retention, data sharing and reuse, data transfer, the responsible officer, etc.), and the related policies, and on base of the analysis, it summarized the characteristic of Australian universities’ research data policies. [Result/conclusion] The Australian universities’ research data policies have the following characteristics: policies are normative, content is clear, rights and responsibilities are clear, emphasis on support and service for researchers, and emphasis on correlation and collaboration with other policies.