Opening up Parliament

Someone’s taken the time and effort to create a searchable database of parliamentary proceedings in the House of Representatives going back as far as 2006 at OpenAustralia.  It’s not a complete Hansard but it does allow you to receive email notifications whenever a certain MHR speaks.  I don’t know if I want to know what Wayne Swan says whenever he opens his mouth as he’s the Treasurer rather than a backbencher and I have a feeling I’d be wading through quite a large record when I receive my daily email.

This is a good idea because Hansard’s not easily searchable and doesn’t easily lend itself to keeping track of one particular member.  Comments can be left on the site but there’s no indication that those comments will reach the member themself (or even their office) but it does allow discussion of the proceedings.  If your local member is a senior government personality, it might be interesting to compare what they say on the floor of the House with what makes the news that night (or even what gets said in their official letters to constituents).

As Kim at Larvatus Prodeo says, it’s a shame that there’s nothing from the Senate on the site because that’s where all the interesting stuff happens.  Senate Estimates are fast becoming the only real way for governments to be questioned given Nelson’s pissweak performance as Leader of the Opposition.  It’d be great to have a searchable database for the transcripts of Senate Estimates and Committees.  That way we could see just what the ALP and Coalition Senators do to improve government legislation, how the Democrats attempt to negotiate, just what Fielding does and whether or not there’s any truth to the idea that the Greens don’t negotiate when it comes to supporting government Bills.