"Co-opertition." Think about it. An interesting concept.

We are so used to competitions and competing.

But what if instead we found ways to shape events and activities around working together? What if we turned our usual adversarial mindset on its head?

A tweet came across my feed where that one word that looked like a typo jumped out at me. I didn't even need to go to the link before I was thinking through a whole bunch of scenarios where this could work.

http://barcampcanberra.org/

Then I realised I had done something just like this at the recent BarCampCanberra. I saw a slot in the agenda of this "unconference" and opened up a discussion about an idea I've been tossing around for a while about a website - CoursesThatDontSuck.com.

My predisposition with this has been to be guarded about the core idea. It could be a hit and make me a motza - set me up in a lifestyle to which I am yet to become accustomed. Or even a little.

But even if it didn't, it could do something to reduce waste going into crap training providers. A big thing in Canberra where course providers are on the $650+ a day gravy train. Even the government itself is in on it, with the APSC raking it in for courses of often questionable value and wasted time and "capital" with your boss.


But I let down my guard and put it out there. And about 12 people dropped in on the session. "So like Trip Adviser for training?" Exactly.

My hoped-for volunteer code geniuses didn't materialise. But some great ideas did. Ideas that could make my idea fly. Like teaming up with someone - like the gang from The-RiotACT.com. And so did endorsement of the basic premise and need.

So without realising it, I had already been doing "co-opertition".

I wonder if it could work in the ACT Assembly? With another balance of power result being predicted at the October election, would a cross-party cabinet work? Could people even bring themselves over to the idea of abandoning the much-vaunted Westminster system of adversarial politics?

I've been a local government Councillor in a non-party-political Council. The issues were more important than the politicking. The numbers changed for every vote. It worked and it was better for the community we represented.

I'd like to think the ACT would work better that way too.

(NB: this is a personal opinion and not necessarily Greens policy.)