[Aust-NZ] Moves to free Australian Public Sector Information

[Cameron Shorter]

http://cameronshorter.blogspot.com/2009/06/moves-to-free-australian-public-sector.html

The Victorian Parliament’s Economic Development and Infrastructure 
Committee (“EDIC”) has released a report recommending the freeing of 
access to Public Sector Information. Bruce Bannerman and I tabled an 
OSGeo <http://osgeo.org/> submission for this report, as did a number of 
other enlightened organisations.
Anne Fitzgerald summarises the situation well, (note that Anne has 
submitted an abstract about Open Data for the FOSS4G 
<http://2009.foss4g.org/> conference):

    I, Brian Fitzgerald and other research collaborators (including
    those working within the Queensland Treasury’s Office of Economic
    and Statistical Research) made verbal and written submissions, which
    are extensively referred to with approval by the committee
    throughout its report. This is a very important report, as it is the
    first in Australia to consider in depth the issue of access to
    Public Sector Information, and is likely to provide the template for
    work by the Federal and other [Australian] State/Territory
    governments. The report recommends that the Victorian Government
    should establish an Information Management Framework, with open
    access to Government information at no or marginal cost as the
    default position.

Donna Benjamin noted on the Open Source Industries Australia email list 
some of the Open Source highlights:

    Recommendation 42: That the Victorian Government require, as part of
    its whole-of-government ICT Procurement Policy, that software
    procured by the Government be capable of saving files in open
    standard formats, and that wherever possible, the software be
    configured to save in open standard formats by default.

    Recommendation 43: That the Victorian Government ensure when
    preparing guidance for procurement, ICT personnel should be equally
    aware of the strengths and weaknesses of both OSS and proprietary
    software.

    Recommendation 44: That the Victorian Government fully evaluate the
    Victorian Department of Justice open source software (OSS)
    workstation trial to assess the potential for wider use of OSS in
    Victorian public service workstations.

    Recommendation 45: That the Victorian Government examine its policy
    for ICT Procurement to ensure that it continues to assist the
    Victorian ICT industry.

    Recommendation 46: That the Victorian Government ensure where
    appropriate that tenders are neither licence specific nor have
    proprietary software-specific requirements; and meet the given
    objectives of Government.


For further information, read the press release at: 
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/edic/inquiries/access_to_PSI/PSI_Inquiry_Media_Release.pdf
The report itself is at 
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/edic/inquiries/access_to_PSI/final_report.html

-- 
Cameron Shorter
Geospatial Systems Architect
Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254

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