Australia
Department of Finance and Administration - Information Management Office
A Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies.
The document outlines OSS options for Australian government agencies.
Many agencies are now looking to explore the possible wider application of open source software within their ICT systems.Under the Australian Government ’s procurement framework,“value for money ” is the key criterion against which competing fit for purpose solutions should be assessed.All solutions -open source or proprietary -which can meet an agency ’s functional specifications should be considered by an agency when it is undertaking software procurement.However the different nature of open source software can make such assessments,and comparisons between different solutions,difficult.
This Guide seeks to assist agencies by providing practical information and approaches for agencies to consider when assessing open source solutions.Risk management procedures and the different contractual considerations that can apply to open source software issues are addressed in the Guide,as are cost of ownership issues.Understanding cost of ownership issues for open source software is important because,under an open source model,costs are incurred at different phases of the implementation and operation of an information technology system.
Access the guide here http://www.agimo.gov.au/_sourceit/sourceit/oss
The Guide is a companion document to the 2004 publication A Guide to ICT Sourcing. Between them these publications provide a basis for better ICT procurement decisions across the whole of the Australian Government.
New South Wales
The NSW Government Open Source website. This website is run by the NSW Open Source Project which is coordinated by the Department of Commerce's Government Chief Information Office (GCIO).
Its' aim is to assist NSW Goverment Agencies working with open source software exchange information and ideas, promote interoperability through the use of open source software and help agencies get maximum benefit from their ICT spending.
Access it here http://www.opensource.nsw.gov.au/
Tasmania
Open Source Tasmania was established in 2005 'To promote and facilitate the use of open source software and solutions for the benefit of Tasmania'
Access it here http://www.ost.org.au/