1. Background

The global economy is restructuring towards knowledge intensive output, as is evidenced by the phenomenal rate of growth in related new technologies and skill intensive activities. It is therefore critical for (my state / nation)'s long term future that we have a robust and vibrant local Information Technology (IT) industry. The effect of the IT boom over the past decade on government departments has largely been overlooked. Whilst many government documents are now stored in electronic format, and additionally are often distributed to the public in a similar fashion, precautions for preservation have either been minimal or not addressed at all. Where the government uses a proprietary file format, it could be held to ransom when it upgrades its software, without any guarantee that the new software will be compatible. Worse still, if the company that owns the proprietary file format ceases to exist, the government, and the public would not be able to upgrade or use old files. The government, its departments, and the public, should not be subject to possible vendor lock-in (which is where they are dependent on a single corporate supplier and are at the mercy of that supplier's direction and future cost structure, as ultimately the supplier forces upgrades through format incompatibilities). When the government releases documents all citizens should be able to view them without unreasonable difficulty. In recent years, Open Source software has arisen as an alternative to the dominant model of proprietary software. As more and more everyday activities (banking, tax returns, voting, etc) are moved into the digital realm, the continued use of proprietary software places too much political and economic power in the hands of a small number of trans-national private corporations. Government use of Open Source software is a major step in the right direction, and it is in the public interest for the government to both utilise and encourage Open Source. Open Source software is highly configurable and transparent: the source code can be audited by any competent programmer. This ensures that it contains neither anything of a suspicious nature nor inefficient methodologies and/or algorithms that consume excessive machine resources, and dramatically speeds up the evolution of the software from initial prototype to full maturity.IT industries, particularly those utilising Open Source models, can significantly bolster the economy of (my state / nation)'s rural and regional areas with minimal environmental impacts, therefore also supporting population decentralisation (see planning and transport policy).

2. Principles

The (my state / nation) Party X believe:2.1 That an innovative vibrant local IT industry is a critical element in the future prosperity of (my state / nation).2.2 Communities, particularly rural or isolated ones, should not be socially or economically disadvantaged by not having low cost high speed internet access. 2.3 Government's data is the property of the people, and should be fully available without paying a toll to a third party company. 2.4 Government departments should not liable to “vendor lock-in”. 2.5 Access to public documents should not require the purchase of additional software. 2.6 Government departments should be leaders in new technology and methodology, allowing the public to benefit from the departments' early take-up. 2.7 Government should use the best software for the task at hand, whilst looking to the effects of this choice both now and in the future. 2.8 Open Source software is a viable alternative to proprietary software, and its use should be encouraged. 2.9 The Government should lead by example by embracing Open Source and Open Standards. 2.10 Government departments' computer systems and networks should utilise technologies that minimise computer waste (see waste policy goal 3.2.3).  

3. Goals