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Code for Australia

Code for Australia (CfA) is a civic tech organisation founded in 2014, modelled on Code for America. Its primary program is a fellowship: placing technologists (developers, designers, data scientists) inside government agencies and non-profits for short-term engagements to help solve civic problems through digital tools.

CfA also runs Civic Makers, a volunteer community bringing people together to build civic technology. Projects have spanned local government data accessibility, climate tools for councils, and public service improvement.

In a structural change, Portable (a civic tech consultancy) took on support of CfA's operations, with CfA's mission remaining unchanged.

Relevance

CfA represents the infrastructure layer of civic tech in Australia — building the human network and institutional relationships that make government-facing technology projects possible. It is a key part of the broader ecosystem that includes OpenAustralia Foundation and GovHack.