OpenAustralia FoundationJan 28

@gusseting @kattekrab @benrfairless @everythingopen we believe that our place is empowering everyone from across the political spectrum to engage in democracy by providing the tools and data.

They Vote for You was created to highlight how politicians actually vote. That data can be used to empower others to compare how they vote with what they say 😊.

Show threadgussetingFeb 5
@oaf @kattekrab @benrfairless @everythingopen
There's a slight problem with what you're providing in that it's not telling the full story. A great example = Kate Chaney of climate 200 fame.
What climate 200 + Kate Chaney *say* they do: "She’s been leading the charge on a bill to make elections more transparent and fair, intergenerational fairness, online gambling reform and decarbonising WA’s economy."
Yeah, right.
1/2 Let's look at the family history, and what she actually *does*.
Show threadgussetingFeb 6
@oaf @kattekrab @benrfairless @everythingopen
I'm curious as to how advocating for Woodside is decarbonising *anyone's* economy, considering they've doubled production since 2020, and their previous CEO is now head of an overseas operation. Name a 100% renewables company that any politican has named and supported, including Kate. I'm at a loss.
"KATE CHANEY: Gas has been a really important part of the WA economy and the Australian economy, and it continues to have a role in transition."
Show threadgussetingFeb 6
@oaf @kattekrab @benrfairless @everythingopen
Yet, explain this one:
https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/curtin/kate_chaney/policies/273
ok, you have: " Be careful! Without a magic crystal ball, there's no way to predict with absolute certainty what representatives will do in future, no matter what they promise you now or how they voted in the past. Nonetheless, exploring how they voted before can help you decide who to support in an election."
Daughter of Woodside director + CIS #atlasnetwork Chaney: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Chaney
Kate Chaney voted consistently for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees

Find out how this is worked out and discover how others voted on the issues that matter to you

They Vote For You
Show threadgussetingFeb 6
@oaf @kattekrab @benrfairless @everythingopen
oh yeah! is there a reason why you get the "can't say anything concrete" when the other bit says "voted consistently"?
Show threadBen FairlessFeb 6

@gusseting @oaf @kattekrab that usually happens when a politician hasn’t voted in the divisions that are linked to a policy.

Info on how policies work: https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/help/faq#policies

Help — Frequently Asked Questions — They Vote For You

Parliament's confusing jargon explained in plain English.

Show threadgussetingFeb 6
@benrfairless @oaf @kattekrab Is that a valid question that journalists aren't asking re: if this thing is so freaking important to you, why aren't you voting on it?
Show threadBen FairlessFeb 10

@gusseting @oaf @kattekrab personally I think the bigger issue is that a major majority of things that go through the parliament don’t have a voting record.

One of the most significant cases in recent memory would have to be marriage equality. There is no official record of that final vote as they didn’t need to count those in favour/those against.

Show threadgussetingFeb 10
@benrfairless @oaf @kattekrab
What can be done about this lack of official record of final vote about things that the public care about?
How do you make things a policy that is voted for/against - eg gaza ceasefire?
Show threadBen FairlessFeb 11

@gusseting @oaf @kattekrab They Vote for You focuses on the voting record so you can compare what a politician says with what what they posted.

Creating a policy is possible via the site, but appears to be restricted to OAF staff. I’ll get our resident TVFY champion to see if we can create a Gaza ceasefire policy.

Show threadOpenAustralia FoundationFeb 13

@benrfairless @gusseting @kattekrab Here's a #Gaza #ceasefire policy on #TheyVoteForYou

https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/policies/318

See How They Vote On The federal government calling for a ceasefire in Gaza (2023-26)

Find out more and see how they voted on other issues that matter to you

They Vote For You
Show threadgussetingFeb 13
Wow. That is not a good look for Australia's water & environment Minister, considering what conflict does to climate:
https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/queensland/murray_watt/policies/318
Thanks for your work @oaf
Murray Watt voted almost always against the federal government calling for a ceasefire in Gaza (2023-26)

Find out how this is worked out and discover how others voted on the issues that matter to you

They Vote For You
Show threadgussetingFeb 13
@oaf oh! is there a way to get the image up, like there is with other policies?
eg, the infamous 298:
https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/grayndler/anthony_albanese/policies/298
Anthony Albanese voted consistently for compulsory income management for welfare recipients

Find out how this is worked out and discover how others voted on the issues that matter to you

They Vote For You
Show threadOpenAustralia FoundationFeb 22
@gusseting looks it’s possibly related to this bug: https://github.com/openaustralia/theyvoteforyou/issues/1574
Show threadgussetingFeb 22
@oaf @benrfairless re: the bug, is the kate result not the same as the dan repacholi bug you've logged? asking because same result (isn't it?)
https://mastodon.social/@gusseting/116021851905920256
Show threadOpenAustralia FoundationFeb 22
@gusseting @benrfairless The bug is rather specific, where the image doesn't match what is displayed on the website. We are currently rebuilding the entire database but it's going to take hours :(
Show threadgussetingFeb 23
@oaf @benrfairless
https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/curtin/kate_chaney/policies/273
Kate Chaney voted consistently for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees

Find out how this is worked out and discover how others voted on the issues that matter to you

They Vote For You
Show threadBen FairlessFeb 23
@gusseting @oaf looks like it’s working now ;)
Show threadgussetingFeb 23
@benrfairless @oaf
it's working, but there's still something weird in the display (life goes on, I guess!)
Let's try a greens with the same policy:
https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/tasmania/nick_mckim/policies/273
Nick McKim voted consistently for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees

Find out how this is worked out and discover how others voted on the issues that matter to you

They Vote For You
Show threadgussetingFeb 23
@benrfairless @oaf
if you scroll back, the display on the albanese vote would be sweet so the large type is understandable and not cut off.
Show threadBen FairlessFeb 23
@gusseting @oaf yep, I see the problem - I’m rebuilding the database again as it appears to have failed last night - ETA 3 hours 😭 (it’s been going for 3 hours at this point)
Show threadBen Fairless

@gusseting @oaf more info if you’re interested: https://github.com/openaustralia/theyvoteforyou/issues/1575

I’ve manually applied the fix, the regular nightly update should complete with no errors (hopefully).

Feb 23 at 1:47pmWeb
Show threadgussetingFeb 23
@benrfairless @oaf There’s this thing, Ben. It’s called sleep. :)