Budget transparency to improve our politics

To date our Portfolio Budget Statements have been published only in PDF and Word Documents (at budget.gov.au). This format prevents people searching across them in any way. The site and the documents themselves are so lacking in any attempt to engage that most people I speak to, including those who must make use of them in their work, will do almost anything to avoid having to read them.

In a world of databases, in the information age, it certainly begs an explanation as to why our federal budget has been kept in such an unusable format? The AFR reports that from next year budget data will be released to the government's new open data portal at data.gov.au, in formats which make plugging it into sites like BudgetAus a less expensive and painful process.

However, there is more to budget transparency than just giving people the figures. Analysis and engagement are the real outcomes of transparency efforts and this is what BudgetAus provides. BudgetAus is now in the process of reconciling the figures taken from the Portfolio Budget Statements to check the estimated/projected surpluses and deficits published by the last government. I am now also trying to establish good relations with Treasury so the new government can provide its own policy costings in a way suitable for accurate entry into my system prior to May 2014.

Australians should not have to wait months at a time to get access to the figures in a way that enables them to make informed decisions about policy and public debate. The more educated people are, the less opportunity there is for budget information to be used for political purposes and the better political discourse will be for it. Over the past year I have spoken to many people from all walks of life about political discourse in this country and not once has anyone ever claimed to be anything less than disgusted by it. Projects like BudgetAus raise the bar because they raise the collective IQ on matters that to date we have been told- in effect- not to worry our pretty little heads about.

BudgetAus should not be one solitary voice in the wilderness. Whether you are from the business community, an activist or an engaged citizen, a project like BudgetAus allows people to engage with the budget data as never before and understand what is really going on behind the press releases and catch phrases.

Even a cursory look at the programs listed by size shows what the country is up against in creating a sustainable economy and highlights the significance of structural and demographic issues which will affect Australia long after this government is a memory and we are faced with the consequences of the choices we make today. Having educated myself through BudgetAus, I make the case that we can not afford not to be informed. Become a BudgetAus user and supporter.