Democratic Policy Infrastructure
Open-source Australian legislation drafted by people who understand the problems
No institutional funding. No political affiliation. Complete transparency.
View Current BillsWhat Is Open Policy Project Australia?
The Problem
Only institutions (lobby groups, think tanks, party research units) can draft viable legislation. This creates structural capture: policy reflects institutional interests, not public needs.
Our Solution
Open-source policy development where people living in problem spaces collaborate to draft legislation. Farmers draft agricultural policy. Workers draft labor protections. Small business owners draft corporate reform.
The Result
High-quality legislation developed transparently, offered to politicians without institutional obligations, and available for anyone to review, improve, or adapt.
Core Principles
- Radically Transparent: All drafts public, all discussions visible, all changes tracked on GitHub
- Zero Institutional Capture: No funding, no political affiliations, completely independent
- Evidence-Based: Focus on solving structural problems, not advancing ideological positions
- Open Collaboration: Anyone can contribute, review, and improve legislation
- Non-Partisan Distribution: Offered to politicians based on policy alignment, not party
Proof of Concept
This approach is already working:
- ✓ Two bills currently with an independent Australian senator's policy team
- ✓ Algorithmic Transparency framework submitted to parliamentary inquiry secretariat
- ✓ Independent research entering official parliamentary processes
- ✓ Zero institutional funding or political affiliation
Open Policy Project Australia exists to scale this model: making democratic policy infrastructure accessible to all Australians.
Current Legislation
Australian Agricultural Sovereignty and Fair Trade Act 2026
Seeking Farmer ReviewEnsures fair competition in agricultural markets by requiring imported products to meet equivalent Australian standards. Strengthens domestic procurement, supports farmer resilience, and enhances food security.
- Standards equivalence for imports (no regulatory dumping)
- Commonwealth procurement preference for Australian produce
- Mandatory transparency labelling
- Farmer resilience framework for climate/market shocks
Democracy Vouchers Act
With Parliamentary OfficeVoter-directed public election funding. Replaces automatic per-vote reimbursement with consent-based allocation. Fiscally conservative (reduces public spending 50-80%), democratically empowering, constitutionally sound.
- Each voter allocates small voucher to candidates of choice
- Only "Qualified Transparency Candidates" can receive vouchers
- Real-time donation disclosure required
- Substantially lower cost than current system
Algorithmic Transparency and Electoral Integrity Act
Submitted to InquiryPost-election disclosure of algorithmic ranking factors affecting political content visibility. Extends established electoral transparency principles to digital platforms without regulating speech or mandating neutrality.
- Post-election transparency reports from major platforms
- Disclosure of ranking factors during election periods
- AEC oversight and audit powers
- No source code disclosure required (protects IP)
Commonwealth Public Bank Act
Open for ReviewEstablishes a government-owned bank for long-term nation-building finance. Provides patient capital for infrastructure, counter-cyclical credit for SMEs and farmers, and reduces reliance on foreign capital.
- Full APRA prudential regulation
- Capitalised via resource royalties and domestic bonds
- Anti-capture governance safeguards
- Anti-privatisation referendum lock (75% threshold)
Immigration Capacity, Integrity and Civic Alignment Act
Open for ReviewEstablishes measurable capacity framework tying immigration intake to housing supply, healthcare capacity, and infrastructure availability. Includes civic alignment requirements and electoral neutrality provisions.
- National Capacity Assessment Framework (hard & soft constraints)
- Infrastructure stress triggers (automatic reduction)
- Economic alignment (productivity over population growth)
- Transparent reporting and independent audit
Public Mining and Gas for National Wealth Act
Open for ReviewPublic ownership of strategic resources combined with competitive private tendering. Establishes Sovereign Wealth Fund (Norway model) and transparent revenue allocation to build permanent national wealth from finite resources.
- Public ownership + competitive market tendering (rejects privatization vs nationalization false choice)
- Sovereign Wealth Fund (40-50% of revenue for intergenerational wealth preservation)
- Public spending allocation (40-50% for infrastructure, healthcare, education)
- Complete transparency (real-time dashboard for contracts, bids, revenue flows)
Labour-First Tax System (Untaxing Subsistence Labour) Act 2025
Draft BillEnsures subsistence labour is untaxed while promoting fiscal integrity and fairness. Raises tax-free threshold to full-time minimum wage (automatically indexed) and recovers revenue through enhanced transparency targeting discretionary trusts, multinational profit shifting, and passive income above subsistence levels.
- Tax-free threshold raised to full-time minimum wage with automatic indexation
- Mandatory beneficial ownership transparency for discretionary trusts
- Strengthened multinational profit attribution based on economic substance
- Remove preferential treatment for passive income above subsistence
- Fiscal neutrality maintained (~$40-60B/year revenue recovery)
- Independent oversight and two-year phased implementation
How to Contribute
For Domain Experts
Farmers, workers, small business owners, healthcare workers—if you understand a structural problem, you can help draft the solution.
- Review existing bills in your area
- Identify gaps or unintended consequences
- Propose improvements via GitHub Discussions
- No legal background required
For Legal/Constitutional Experts
We need reviewers to ensure bills are constitutionally defensible, technically sound, and implementable.
- Review constitutional validity
- Check interaction with existing law
- Suggest clause improvements
- Document legal reasoning transparently
For Everyone
You don't need expertise to spot problems, ask clarifying questions, or suggest better approaches.
- Read the bills
- Comment on GitHub Discussions
- Upvote good suggestions (👍 reactions)
- Share with people in affected industries
How It Works
Draft
Domain experts identify structural problems and draft solutions using templates and guides
Collaborate
Open review via GitHub Discussions. Anyone can comment, suggest changes, or upvote improvements
Iterate
Bill improves through multiple versions. All changes tracked transparently
Review
Constitutional and legal experts verify defensibility and implementation feasibility
Publish
Final version published openly. Offered to politicians with compatible policy interests
Track
Monitor parliamentary progress. Document if introduced or debated
Why GitHub?
GitHub is version control software—think "track changes" for legislation, but completely public and permanent.
GitHub Discussions is where we discuss each bill. You can:
- Comment on specific provisions or the bill overall
- React with 👍 👎 ❤️ to show support or concern
- Propose changes that others can discuss and refine
- Track changes to see how bills evolve over time
Every discussion is public. Every change is permanent. No hidden processes. No institutional gatekeeping.
If you disagree with a bill's direction, you can "fork" (copy) it and develop an alternative approach.
View All Discussions →Why This Matters
Breaking the Institutional Monopoly on Policy
Currently, only well-funded institutions can draft legislation that politicians will seriously consider. This creates structural bias: policy reflects who can afford to draft it, not what would actually solve problems.
Open Policy Project Australia democratizes policy capacity. If you understand a problem deeply—because you live with it every day—you can draft a solution. No credentials required. No institutional backing needed. Just competence, clarity, and commitment to transparency.
When politicians have access to high-quality, non-captured policy alternatives, the institutional monopoly weakens. They can choose based on merit, not obligation.
Restoring Democratic Agency
Most Australians can't influence policy beyond voting every few years. "Write to your MP" produces form letter responses. Submissions to inquiries disappear into bureaucratic processes.
This platform creates a real pathway: draft solutions → collaborate openly → offer to politicians who benefit from adopting them.
Your expertise matters. Your voice counts. Your contribution is permanent and attributable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who funds this?
Nobody. Zero funding means zero institutional capture. The platform costs nothing to run (GitHub hosting is free). Contributors volunteer their time and expertise.
Is this affiliated with any political party?
No. We have no political affiliations. Bills are offered to politicians based on policy alignment, not party membership. We've worked with independents because they lack institutional policy infrastructure—but anyone can use these bills.
Do I need legal expertise to contribute?
Not at all. If you're a farmer, you know more about agricultural policy problems than most lawyers. If you're a small business owner, you understand corporate compliance burden better than policy advisors. Domain expertise matters more than credentials.
Will politicians actually use these bills?
Already happening. Two bills are currently with a parliamentary office. One framework was submitted to an official inquiry. The pathway exists—we're proving it works and scaling it.
How do comments and reactions work?
Each bill has a GitHub Discussion thread. You can comment to suggest changes, ask questions, or raise concerns. Use reactions (👍 👎 ❤️ 🎉) to signal support or concern without writing a full comment. Most-upvoted suggestions get priority consideration.
What if I disagree with a bill's approach?
Discuss it openly in the bill's thread. If you can't reach consensus, you can "fork" the bill and develop an alternative approach. Both versions remain public and available.
Is this left-wing or right-wing?
Neither. We solve structural problems, not advance ideological positions. Agricultural Sovereignty protects farmers. Democracy Vouchers reduce government spending. Algorithmic Transparency extends existing law. Different constituencies, same principle: fix broken structures.
How do I know this isn't captured by hidden interests?
Complete transparency. Every draft is public. Every discussion is visible. Every change is tracked. Every contributor is attributed. If you suspect capture, you can audit the entire history. If you find it, you can fork and create an uncaptured version.
Build Democratic Infrastructure
Policy capacity shouldn't be monopolized by institutions. It should be accessible to every Australian.