Sydney-based open source research firm Waugh Partners has published a version of its Australian Open Source Industry & Community Report as a freely-distributable PDF file under a Creative Commons licence.

The report's findings were first announced at the Linux.conf.au Linux and open source conference in Melbourne earlier this year, and it is being touted as the first professional attempt to collate information about Australia's open source industry, including the size and value of the local community and industry.

The report is the result of a "census" of some 327 respondents, which is estimated by Waugh Partners to be 10 percent of the total community size.

Speaking at the launch event, Waugh Partners director Jeff Waugh said the census has been in the works since the company started in 2006 and aims to detail to the symbiotic relationship between the industry and the community.

"We have a pretty good grasp of what is going on, but we need to take that to the wider industry," Waugh said, adding the most surprising outcome of the census is the level of commercial support available for open source software.

"Most IT leaders are concerned about support for open source and that is what the report details," he said.

The report was sponsored by NICTA, IBM, and Fujitsu.

A hard copy of the report with additional printed material is available for purchase from Waugh Partners.

Download the free version of the report here .