Source: from eGov AU by Craig Thomler (6/04/2009) at http://egovau.blogspot.com/2009/04/whats-governments-role-in-improving.html
I love the work that Matthew Landauer and a small
group of non-partisan, patriotic Australians have done to set up OpenAustralia.
If you're not aware of the site, it's designed to make the discussions on
parliamentary floors visible to the public in an easily accessible way.
The site also provides information on Members' interests (on the record) and
with further development could also support parliamentarian voting records,
track bills and their amendments (and who is proposing them) and more.
OpenAustralia is modeled on (and uses the open-source software developed for) a
similar (not-for-profit) UK site, TheyWorkForYou.
Further sites of the same type are appearing around the world and attracting
significant audiences - demonstrating there is a public interest in political
processes and activities by elected representatives.
My question is, should
this type of site be developed by individuals in their spare time, or it is an
area that the Australian government needs to invest in itself to support the
democratic process?
A good question: I am afraid to
answer that individuals are more reactive (at least presently)
Below is a presentation with more information on OpenAustralia.
OpenAustralia - Everyday democracy for
everybody in Australia - Matthew Landauer
View more presentations from Brianna Laugher.
And here is a video by the founder/developer of TheyWorkForYou.
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