She said departments and agencies should be asked to assess the merits of open source software as part of their strategic approach to sourcing.
"Labor has always challenged the wisdom of long-term contracts capturing government departments and agencies in shrink-wrapped proprietary software solutions at a time when technology is changing so rapidly. Open source also has strengths in crucial areas such as security," Senator Lundy said.
She pointed to the fact that open source software is backed by a system of peer review - if security flaws were found, anyone can have access to the source code to fix the flaws.
She warned the government against considering open source software merely as another means of cost-cutting. "Instead, I see open source software as offering huge potential in rethinking the management of public information and the delivery of e-Government services by using smart and secure technology that will serve now and into the future," she said.
"This is the chance to make a significant investment in updating legacy technology systems that will prevent the effective delivery of e-government services, including access to data that is held in systems that are up to 30 years old.
"As far as e-Government is concerned, what is required is a vision for Australia that understands that software and the Internet are central to delivering citizen focused e-government services," Senator Lundy said.
Quelle: The Age
