Gympie council launches OpenGov real-time data hub

Mayor Glen Hartwig says his council’s newly unveiled $125,000 real-time data hub is a ‘step in the right direction’ in the council’s promise of greater transparency.

Gympie council has launched a new online real-time datat hub as part of its push towards greater transparency.

Ipswich council’s recent history has been a tale of two cities: one riddled with corruption, and one clawing back to transparency and accountability.

Gympie Regional Council has joined it on the latter path, launching its own online real-time data hub to further open the doors to public information and accountability.

The hub, launched on Thursday morning, includes updated figures on items including council revenue and expenses, budget and capital work programs and procurement.

The cost of the program, as identified in the hub itself, was $125,000.

Ipswich City Council was the first in Australia to launch such a hub in the fallout of the Paul Pisasale corruption scandal.

The move was supported by political analyst Neil Glentworth who, in July last year, called it the sign of “a truly ‘smart city’”.

Four months later Mr Glentworth urged Gympie’s council leaders at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast to jump on-board the idea saying there was “no reason” real-time transparency could not be done here.

The hub provides up-to-date figures on the council’s expenses.

Mayor Glen Hartwig said the new hub was “a step in the right direction”.

“It’s not an expensive means to show the community exactly how their money is being spent.

“We are opening it up as much as we possibly can without breaching any privacy regulations.

“It’s their money; we promised we would be open and it’s a step in that direction.”

The hub includes details on remuneration and expenses.

He acknowledged there was “not a massive amount” of information on the hub so far, but that would change.

“More detail will be added over time,” Mr Hartwig said.

“The challenge we faced was, particularly around our finances, there was some concerns about the … strength of the numbers.”

He was confident Gympie’s portal would be met with the same response Ipswich received.

“I’ve spoken to (Ipswich) Mayor Teresa Harding about it; it was part of her election platform and she said the response from her community has been overwhelming.”