An interesting, if somewhat hefty report (238 pages) from the Victorian Parliament’s Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee which had recently conducted an inquiry into Public Sector Information which has called for improved access to Government information with the creation of an Information Management Framework, and assessing what information is to be made available to the public.
Okay, it’s really only interesting to e-Government and library nerds like myself. If anyone has had to spend their working time trying to elicit information from public servants and accessing what little information government departments place on their website, you too would be jumping for joy.
However, it must also be accompanied by a change in the mindset of bureaucrats who seem to think that all information is to be locked down. I was once in contact with an individual from a government authority requesting information. Informed that I had to present an FOI request in order to get that information, I went online and found exactly what I had asked for from their website.
A searchable data directory was also recommended for the information which the public sector holds, as well as data repositories for higher education institutions to be established as a condition of funding from the Government.
The report also looked at the use of open source software which was being trialled in the Department of Justice. The use of open source software is growing in the public service- the Department of Premier and Cabinet‘s website was redesigned using Joomla!. There are parts of the public sector which are avid users of open source, especially in my last job. This was partially due to a lack of funds, the IT guys were knowledgeable, and they didn’t think much of proprietary software.
So two thumbs up from me because the report and the committee recognise:
- That information can be a social and commercial benefit, that information has value and should be accessible to all.
- The value of open source software in making this information accessible.
Hopefully the Victorian Government responds to the report in a positive manner and adopts the recommendations. *fingers crossed*
There she goes 