Minutes will be available once approved.

Please note that the deadline for updates is the 20th of September so we’d really appreciate some help over this week.

The video also covers information about the state level and local government level indexes. Submissions for these can be received at any time and the process is just as easy as that of the global census.

You can follow Australian developments around this project on Twitter.

However, after having the opportunity to sit in on two of the Melbourne meetups recently, and after meeting Mitchell Stanton-Cook up in the Brisbane meetup group last week, I thought the time had come. The challenge of running a meetup in Canberra, I suspect, will be to bring together an interesting crowd each fortnight and keep the discussions fresh. I thought a good way to meet that challenge was to run a format which allowed members to join from anywhere in the country over video conference.

So, today we ran the first of these and I think our modest start was a great success. Just to have the video conferencing work without issue was our baseline for a success, so that was the first win. So, what topics were discussed?

• Stephen Gates joined us from Brisbane to discuss the Open Data Census and the next steps for finalising our regional updates. Note – the deadline for submissions is on its way! A sprint to the finish is due to start on the 14th with Alex Sadlier, Pia Waugh, Stephen Gates and myself all chipping in.If you can help then drop a comment below. Not sure what this is all about? Stephen and I have organised to record a demo of the process this Sunday the 13th, so tweets from @okfnau and @auOpenDataIndex to come soon after… for now you can check out the article from Stephen that was posted to okfn.org earlier this year.
• Bill Browne joined us via chat to share his interest in Free Culture. We discussed the possible cross overs within the various Open Knowledge Working Groups and a number of scenarios where closed data and data silos presented a risk to the Free Culture movement. This grew into a discussion around Linked Data and the W3C web transactions group where I was aware of situations created from Country of Law agreements in one country have the potential to work against the civil rights of other jurisdictions. The recent decision by twitter to remove API access from those reporting on the post tweet deletions of public officials was one such scenario.
• Lastly, I discussed how I would be in San Francisco next month and was aiming to meet with members of the local SFBrigade’s activities around Open Referral.

So, a modest start for a small group in Canberra with a video link to the big ideas surrounding Open Knowledge.

We hope to see you at the next meetup on the 24th of September!

Note: This is a re-post on behalf of Rosie Williams. The original post can be found at https://openaus.net.au/blog/2015/08/17/open-data-open-government-a-new-paradigm/

The internet is often hailed for its promise and role played in political change. Now anyone can blog or Tweet. Social media has played a major role in democratic uprisings around the world and ending political careers domestically. Likewise, open data is a new tool available to citizens in getting access to information that was previously kept under lock and key, to reveal insights not previously available even to government and provide another level of accountability of the government to the people. The term used to refer to this expectation and process is ‘open government‘.

In our modern democracies with governments now reaching into every corner of our lives, providing cradle to grave services as the largest employer/contractor in the country, we have come to expect a great deal from government. In recent years, the advent of the internet has brought with it an assumption that our power as individual citizens will increase and that this will mean a lessening of the power and control held by government and an increase in the power of the individual.

There is much written about the expectations on government but there is a corollary to theincreased engagement and participation projected by open government, specifically, an increase in the burden of responsibility must logically flow from the government back to the people.

Open data plays a role in this process of changing the relationship between citizens and government but this change must also transpire at the level of individual consciousness.

The more disconnected we feel from the democratic and policy process, the more we are inclined to blame the government for the ills we see. As citizen engagement and participation increases, the more power we should have over the outcomes – both good and bad. Increasing the power and responsibility of citizens is good for government as citizens (with the help of government) take more responsibility for solving problems. The role of government shifts from being the solution to every problem to being the facilitator of communities solving their problems. This is a paradigmatic shift.

I believe that  open government heralds a new paradigm in modern politics, one where governments are no longer seen as the be all and end all in solving every problem but are seen as facilitators of our collective insights and abilities in solving our problems. Open data has an important role in open government in increasing transparency and accountability but it is up to us to engage with the government over open data and support open data projects for the very important role they play in empowering citizens with information they need to hold the government to account.

There are a few easy ways for people to publish a simple profile that can be found for others and therefore help to answer these questions and join the dots between people, organisations, topics of interest and projects.

Join the online discussion board

Open Knowledge central have been working through a number of improvements to an online discussion space. You can connect with people around the world on topics of interest or start a new thread on something you are particularly interested in. Importantly, once you sign up you can share some details via your profile and this will help others find and connect with you. Take a look now and setup a profile at https://discuss.okfn.org/

Create  an entry in the open-steps Directory

Help people find you via your organisation, location or skills. The open steps directory doesn’t yet have a large number of entries, but that doesn’t stop you from jumping in and creating an open profile.

Ask for help via the mailing list or twitter

You can sign up to the Australian chapter mail list at: https://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/okfn-au

And, you’ll always find a range of things shared over our twitter account at @okfnau. A number of people manage the account so mention it and you’ll likely get a response pretty soon.

Where to start…

The first step in finding help is always to seek it out. Simply asking a question to the email list for Open Knowledge Australia is a great way to share something in a not-entirely-public manner. However, if you are sharing things that are useful to the whole Open Knowledge network both now and into the future then the public discussion forum would be the place to be. The forum helps us organically develop both our shared ideas, knowledge and network of interests. With the content there indexed via search engines the more we share the more we’ll attract great people into our network over time.

Where else are people discussing Open Knowledge?

Depending on how you organise your digital life you will likely have a strong preference for one or more methods of communication and team collaboration. Let us know in the comments how you’d like to connect with people more within the Open Knowledge network. What about Slack, GitHub, Hangouts and meetup groups? Where would you like to find more people?

Attendees:

• Dr. Fiona Tweedie (Co-Chair)
• Dr. Maia Sauren (Chairing)
• Ana Mihov-Nicotodis (Co-Secretary)
• Steven De Costa (Co-Secretary & Treasurer)
• Michael Phillips (Board Member)
• Markus Buchhorn (Board Member)

 Agenda

• Welcome from the Chair
• Apologies
• Finances
  • Update on Finances
• Updates
  • Actions from last meeting
  • Network and Community
  • Planning Actions
• Other business
  • Rejected other business

Minutes

Welcome from the Chair and apologies

The meeting was opened by Dr. Maia Sauren

Apologies:

• Nicholas Gruen (Chairman)
• Anne Cregan-Wolfe (Board Member)
• James Kliemt (Board Member)

Finances

Update on Finances

• Steven: Looking to provide read-access to a general account with different levels of access for delegates. Ops manager @ Link Digital will do books via Xero to take some pressure off NICTA; NICTA are happy with this arrangement.
• Steven: Creating budget items – e.g. Melb local funding so that cash can be in single account but funds can be tracked. Some cleaning up of account to be done re allocating Vic local funds
• Bank Account + ABN/Tax updates and discussion- Ana & Michael
• Ana: To check if we are tax exempt we need to follow the steps here: https://www.ato.gov.au/non-profit/guides/in-detail/guides—booklets/income-tax/income-tax-guide-for-non-profit-organisations/?page=4#Working_out_if_your_organisation_is_income_tax_exempt.
• From NICTA: Ana contacted CBA, some delay on account b/c no ABN. Form will be registered at CBA with signatories of account. Also need to look at tax exemption (poss ACNC registration)
• Some clarification to be done re OKVic’s local funds

Updates

Actions from last meeting

• Set up basecamp to pool ideas for communications – Steven (done)
• Set up blog post for community to discuss notion of rotating board positions – Steven (done)

Network and Community

• Website & List updates/discussion – Steven: Doing review of comms channels, considering useful blog posts, will review OK list numbers (OK List numbers are at 406 subscribers)
• Feedback on OKAU – Steven: Growing interest around the country, need to re-engage local ambassadors to support them. Try to make sure there is a local support network to seek funding, connect w govt. Board to try to pull together speakers & support a kick-off event in each new region.
• Melbourne meetups – Fiona: weekly meetups (SuAH); Linux con mini conf – will probably get an answer mid-late Sept; VicRoads, Aurin v happy with GovHack, want to do more.
• HealthHack – Maia: HealthHack happening late Oct, Melb, Syd, Brisbane, Perth – local organisers and a national group.
• Brisbane Meetups – Maia: local events on the theme of “how to…” groundswell growing in Brisbane
• How to support an emerging group? Sharing learning re how to run a group, could we support a local event – action item noted to share induction document.
• Steven: Interest in hack days in ACT combining with Code for Australia

Planning Actions

• Assisting with GovHack 2016 – Steven: To seek ongoing alignment with GovHack
• Rotation of Board members – Steven: Maia leaving Aus for 12 months so will step down; Anne Cregan also stepping down due to maternity leave Steven suggests rotation process as per blog post. – Markus: noted loss of knowledge with rotating the board members too quickly; with quarterly Board meetings members should attend more than one or two. – Steven: Lacking an effective mechanism for Board member rotation is a fail. – Michael: suggests 12 month (min) terms with a nomination process – draw local ambassadors onto board?
• Post GovHack Red Carpet catchup – Steven: Would love to see local organisers (Mitch et al) to be there
• Idea: OKAU support for crossing data hurdles – Markus: Bottom-up question, what do people in OKau do? “I’m an ambassador, now what?” “I’m keen on OpenData to achieve X, who do I talk to?” Define some more specific roles for data ambassadors as appropriate? – Steven: creating an published data cookbook “Who’s who and with what”
• Idea: Strategic OpenData/OpenMethod project(s) – Markus: Crystallising many threads of community efforts needs something more specific as a target. Wants to do some targeted (spectacular) activities with open data & tools and supporting a range of communities e.g. an open and live intergenerational report. It’s a top-down approach for demonstrating the benefit of OKau as a community. – Steven: Suggested starting with council data to tie together GovPond, Open Council Data and the local Open Data Index
• OK Fest 2016 – City of Melbourne is keen to support, FT meeting with Lorraine Tighe on Thursday – Steve B meeting Lorraine as well – @ Steve B can you comment on City of Melb’s plans? Something around a bid process? – bit late now, but they seem to think there is a bid to host OKfest, but it needs to be led by local OK people. Nicholas Gruen’s instigation, apparently.

Other business

Rejected other business:

• Steve B: any opportunity to discuss the actual structure of GovHack? We keep hearing some of the same feedback about how it doesn’t meet certain needs, can we talk about changing some of the basic parameters of the competition? – Not really our call to make here, Steve – Maxious: Govhack is arms-length from OKAu, would be a question for govhack team. – OK (I realise that was ambiguous, I didn’t mean to have the discussion here and now, I meant to schedule a discussion for a future date, but point taken) – Be the change – Govhack 2016 will need new committee, new committee could have new paradigm.

A collection of session recordings are provided below.

• Above – Nicholas Gruen: Chair of Open Knowledge Australia

• Above- Pia Waugh: Director of Analytics and Discovery Layer, Digital Transformation Office

• Above – Maree Adshead: CEO, Open Data Institute Queensland

All Speakers:

• Nicholas Gruen: Chair of Open Knowledge Australia
• Jed Sundwall: Global Open Data Technical BDM for Amazon Web Services
• Pia Waugh:  Director of Analytics and Discovery Layer, Digital Transformation Office
• Steve Bennett: Community Contributor, Open Knowledge Australia
• Steven De Costa: Open Knowledge Australia, CKAN Association and Link Digital
• Brendan Bouffler: Scientific Computing, Amazon Web Services
• Maree Adshead: CEO, Open Data Institute Queensland

Thanks to everyone who came along for this event!

Special thanks to Amazon Web Services and Link Digital for covering costs associated with the room hire, catering and social drinks.

@piawaugh and @NGruen1 Will Work For Data #WeAreCKAN at the @okfnau #CBR drinks. MOAR #opendata pic.twitter.com/wFikWO83SH

— Steven De Costa (@starl3n) May 13, 2015

Learn about the foundation elements of a new information economy that is already connecting public and private sectors throughout Australia and the world.

Tickets are available via Eventbrite

Confirmed Speakers:

• Nicholas Gruen: Chair of Open Knowledge Australia
• Jed Sundwall: Global Open Data Technical BDM for Amazon Web Services
• Pia Waugh:  Director of Analytics and Discovery Layer, Digital Transformation Office
• Steve Bennett: Community Contributor, Open Knowledge Australia
• Steven De Costa: Open Knowledge Australia, CKAN Association and Link Digital
• Brendan Bouffler: Scientific Computing, Amazon Web Services
• Maree Adshead: CEO, Open Data Institute Queensland

Formal agenda will run from 2:30pm to 4:30pm.

Networking and drinks to close from 4:30 to 5:30pm

Taking place at NICTA Canberra Research Laboratory, 7 London Circuit, Canberra, ACT 2601

My suggestion was that two people each 3 month period would be obliged to vacate their their position. At this time any other nominations would be received for the positions. Those who previously held the position would also be available for nomination. As such, reelection of the previous Board members could happen if no other nominations were received, assuming they had put themselves up for nomination.

There are around 8 board members at this point so this sort of process would allow for a complete renewal/reinstatement of the Board each 12 month period.

Views were expressed from others on the existing Board that such a rapid or recurring rotation of Board members may be disruptive. Other suggestions included four, six or 12 month rotations for facilitating a similar process.

This blog post intends to collect comments from the OKAU community on what processes could be considered. If a number of processes are nominated then a public upvote process can be used to determine the approach that will be taken (at least in a trial format).

Sound ok? Please leave your comments!

Hoots! Steven

BOARD MEETING

Tuesday 31 March 2015 11.00AM – 12.00PM Location: Google hangouts

Attendees: Nicholas Gruen (Chairman) Dr. Fiona Tweedie (Co-Chair) Dr. Maia Sauren (Co-Chair) Ana Mihov-Nicotodis (Co-Secretary) Steven De Costa (Board Member) Anne Cregan-Wolfe (Board Member) Michael Phillips (Board Member)

Apologies: James Kliemt (Board Member) David Flanders (Co-Secretary)

AGENDA

1. Welcome from the Chair
2. Apologies
3. Changes to the Board
4. Updates
5. Planning Actions
6. Other business

MINUTES

1. Welcome from the Chair and apologies
   1. The meeting was opened by Nicholas Gruen
2. Apologies
   1. James Kliemt (Board Member)
   2. David Flanders (Co-Secretary)
3. Changes to the Board
   1. David Flanders is now retiring. His establishment of Open Knowledge Foundation and great contribution was acknowledged.
   2. Nominations for replacement co-secretary were received. Steven De Costa was the only nomination. Steven De Costa appointed as co-secretary.
   3. Nominations for Treasurer were received. Steven De Costa was the only nomination. Steven De Costa appointed as Treasurer.
4. Updates
   1. Entity and Establishment
      1. OK AU established as a Not-for-profit incorporated.
      2. Bank account to be set up. Delegation of authority for bank account – Administration and Authorisers.
      3. Michael’s suggestion: Treasurer as administrator, can nominate people within community for authorised access to account (with ability to add and remove over time)
      4. Steven’s suggestion: Administrators – Nicholas plus treasurer, Authorisers: Fiona and Ana.
      5. Steven De Costa who was voted in as co-secretary taking David Flanders’ place, also nominates as treasurer. This would result is Steven and Nicholas Gruen as administrators.
      6. Therefore, Steven De Costa (Co-Secretary + Treasurer) and Nicholas Gruen (Chairman of Board) will be administrators of the Commonwealth Bank account for Open Knowledge Australia. This will be opened up for discussion in the blog also. The purpose of the blog discussion is for people to comment on proposed spending processes and ways to request funds or reimbursements from OKAU.
      7. Fioana Tweedie (co-chair) and Ana Mihov-Nicotodis (co-secretary) and other executive board members to be authorisers of the bank account.
      8. It is important to organise the treasurer and ongoing financial management processes as it cannot be assumed NICTA will be able to continue to be on top of administration in the future.
   2. GovHack
      1. GovHack 2015 preparations underway. Set to take place 3-5th July. Red Carpet Event location TBC. Possibly Melbourne or Adelaide.
      2. Sponsorships from corporate and public sector confirmed. Approx $70k worth of sponsorship queued ready to be invoiced.
      3. NICTA will continue to help with the financial administration for this year but hopes that OK AU will be able to take over for 2016. It was a large work load for NICTA with half a million going through the books in $2k transactions.
      4. Was noted there is the 2014 GovHAck annual report on the website reflecting this information from last year.
   3. Network and Community
      1. Steven joined the CKAN Association Steering Group. CKAN recently released a new version.
      2. There is a lot of activity in Australia around open data.
      3. There have been many website updates (mostly coming from Melbourne).
      4. Want to encourage local ambassadors to use the blog. How can we effectively direct people who’d like to be involved to the right place?
      5. The website is currently unattractive and difficult to navigate.
      6. There is a large group of volunteers and organisers in Melbourne allowing for weekly meetups. Events include speakers and ‘Shutup & hack’. Several ongoing projects happening including continuation of GovHack projects.
      7. Monthly Sydney meetups happening soon (organised via the Open Data Australia meetup) – less of numbers than that in Melbourne. Sydney is in touch with Open Australia and Budget Australia.
5. Planning Actions
   1. As mentioned earlier, OKAU should be ready to take over the NICTA’s book keeping and admin for GovHack in 2016 to demonstrate our competence. OK AU will likely need to employ an administrative capability – perhaps employ community manager.
   2. Currently NICTA is aiming at automating the process as much as possible.
   3. There needs to be clarification on the role of OKAU Board in context of the OKAU community- how can the board support the community organisations? Admin, bookkeeping, insurance etc. Board to provide support; local groups to be the ‘voice’.
   4. Suggested that 2 of the 8 board member positions be rotated every 3 months. Other believed this was too short a rotating cycle and that 6 or 12 months would be more fitting.
   5. SDC suggests that we open up process via blog; nominations open to anyone, voting by board members, local & topic ambassadors, weighted votes to general community.
   6. Development of funding program SDC talking to Partner & Prosper re sponsorship program, Steven considering making a loan to OK AU to get funding program underway.
   7. Maia raised negotiations with ThoughtWorks re ongoing support – Steven and Maia to follow up how these might link up.
   8. Down the line In the case of sponsorship, commercial organisations will want something in return so we will need to establish some rules and policies in terms of recognition
   9. Need board to be supporting ambassadors, encouraging them to blog. Fiona would like to see support for ambassadors to join red carpet event for post-event get-together.
   10. Local and collective funds – how managed/ divided? Event vs. community building
6. Other business
   1. Interaction with international OK organisation. How to fund international interaction, do we want to participate in working groups. Steven suggests we should support those who want to be involved.
   2. Up to the community to self-nominate, board should amplify
   3. Michael suggests Hack longevity should be our priority for the year ahead – use the GovHack annual report as more of a showcase of activity
   4. HealthHack 2015 and beyond – Maia updates that it is going to happen in late October. Fiona co-ordinating, will be in Melb, Syd, Perth, Brisbane.
   5. OKFest – Aust to host APAC, OK central may be able to give some funding, Steven talking to CSIRO, NZ govt. Have a meetup post GovHack red carpet for some discussion & planning. Possible date of April 2016

ACTIONS

• Set up basecamp to pool ideas for communications – Steven
• Set up blog post for community to discuss notion of rotating board positions – Steven