Parlimeter Online

• OUTA and partners launch ParliMeter, a ground-breaking parliamentary oversight tool
• OUTA, PMG and OpenUp worked together to build this online tool to help anyone track what’s going on in Parliament

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), in collaboration with OpenUp and the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), is proud to announce the official launch today of our ParliMeter tool, an innovative parliamentary oversight dashboard.

ParliMeter is co-funded by the European Union under its Enhancing Accountability and Transparency programme, which is a multi-year initiative aimed at improving public access to governance processes and strengthening oversight mechanisms.

OUTA, PMG and OpenUp are civil society organisations dedicated to advancing open governance and citizen participation.

Our ParliMeter tool is designed to be  used by those who want to keep watch on what Parliament is doing: parliamentarians, civil society, journalists, government officials and the general public. It is intended to improve transparency, accessibility and accountability.

ParliMeter contributes to:

• Increased public engagement: It makes it easier for South Africans to follow parliamentary proceedings and understand how decisions are made.
• Improved transparency: It allows civil society, journalists, and researchers to track trends in governance and parliamentary performance.
• Evidence-based advocacy: It supports organisations working on governance reform by providing structured, real-time parliamentary data.

ParliMeter is an online tool, which uses data sourced from Parliament via PMG, to provide insights into key parliamentary activities.

This includes:

• MP attendance: Tracking Member of Parliament (MP) presence in plenary and committee meetings.
• Bill progression: Monitoring where legislation stands in the parliamentary process.
• Committee meetings: Displaying the number and duration of committee meetings.

Rachel Fischer, OUTA’s Parliamentary Engagement and Research Manager, and project manager for the ParliMeter project, emphasises the importance of the initiative.

“ParliMeter is more than a tool – it is a gateway to participatory democracy. By providing accessible and transparent legislative data, we empower citizens, researchers, and civil society organisations to hold Parliament accountable in real time.”

ParliMeter is a tool for transparency, not conclusions.

• The data presented is neutral and objective. It provides insights, but does not frame narratives.
• Different users will interpret the data in different ways, and that’s exactly why public access is so important.
• ParliMeter is an open tool, so anyone can use it – civil society organisations, journalists, policymakers, or ordinary citizens – to monitor Parliament’s effectiveness.

Future enhancements

ParliMeter is a living project and we will continue to work on expanding and improving it.

Enhancements may include:

• Expanding data coverage, including voting records and MP participation analysis;
• Strengthening committee monitoring, making proceedings more accessible and trackable; and
• Building a foundation for evidence-based policymaking by increasing data availability and linking research reports.

We will value feedback from users, for example, on:

• Additional features that would add value;
• Corrections or refinements to existing data; and
• Ideas on how this tool can be best used for parliamentary oversight.

Implementing partners

ParliMeter is a joint initiative by:

• OUTA (Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse): A civil action organisation focused on investigating maladministration and holding government accountable through advocacy and legal interventions.
• PMG (Parliamentary Monitoring Group): A research-driven organisation that tracks, records, and reports on parliamentary proceedings to promote greater access and engagement.
• OpenUp: A civic technology organisation that develops open-data tools to strengthen public participation and democratic processes.