Digital divide report shows thousands of Australians in remote communities still don't have internet access
By regional affairs reporter Erin Parke
Topic:Mobile and Internet Access
12m ago12 minutes agoMon 9 Dec 2024 at 7:29pm
A young woman sits smiling at a desktop computer
Wujal Wujal resident Keshiah Sykes uses a communal computer at the community's Indigenous Knowledge Centre. (Supplied: RMIT)
In short:
A national snapshot shows internet access is improving overall, but half of Australia's Aboriginal communities still don't have phone reception.
The findings come as the federal government tries to close the so-called digital divide, which is leaving hundreds of thousands Australians unable to access online services.
What's next?
The government is due to release its road map for digital inclusion today, outlining how it plans to ensure Aboriginal Australians keep up with technological change.
A national audit has revealed hundreds of bush communities are still living without mobile phone and internet coverage, despite the rapid digitisation of daily tasks.
The latest snapshot from the Closing the Digital Divide project, which monitors connectivity in Australia's 1,505 remote Aboriginal communities, has revealed half still do not have mobile phone coverage.
It is making life increasingly difficult for remote residents, who are expected to access banking, government and employment services online without the tools to do so.
The good news is evidence of an overall improvement to internet access, with the number of people able to get online increasing from 74 per cent in 2022 to 86 per cent.
Lead researcher Daniel Featherstone says there are promising signs but still a lot of work to do.
"There is a lot of good news here — we have communities now with wi-fi mesh networks, which is proving a game-changer, and there's evidence more people [are] using the internet regularly," Dr Featherstone said.
"However, most remote community residents are entirely dependent on mobile phones, and there's been a reduction in home computers and communally available computers.
"And the reality is, internet use is surging ahead in the rest of Australia, so we need to focus on getting these communities at least connected on a basic level so they're not left behind completely."
A man sits at a desk pointing at a tablet device while two Aboriginal women look on.
Dr Featherstone has been surveying remote community residents about their telecommunications options since 2021. (Supplied: Daniel Featherstone)
The survey also found the rising cost of living was a significant barrier to digital inclusion in remote communities, with 73 per cent of respondents reporting that they had made sacrifices or cut back on essentials in order to afford connectivity.
The so-called "digital divide" is a growing area of focus for the federal government, with the release of the first long-term plan to improve digital access for First Nations Australians.
What is the digital divide?
The digital divide refers to the gulf that has developed between those with the money, skills and infrastructure to be online and those without.
And remote Aboriginal community residents are among the worst impacted, at a time when services linked to banking, government and employment are increasingly moving online.
Pat Channing is an Indigenous tourism operator from northern WA who has noticed the impact in the local community.
A woman with short hair stands smiling outside.
Pat Channing says running an accommodation provider can be a nightmare without internet access. (ABC News: Erin Parke)
She says her family struggles to maintain the internet connection required to run their coastal accommodation business north of Broome.
"We sometimes have problems because we rely on the satellite and if that goes out, especially during the wet season, you're stuck — you don't have internet at all," she said.
"When that happens, you can't do your banking, you can't do your Centrelink reporting — it can be a real nightmare."
She has noticed older people finding it difficult to adjust to the rapid changes in technology.
"I still know a few old ladies around Broome who still use a bank book, because they don't have online apps or keycards," she said.
"They still go in physically to the bank branch to make withdrawals, partly because they're scared of scammers — and I don't blame them."
Limited digital access in emergency scenarios
There is evidence the digital divide is not just inconvenient, but potentially dangerous.
Recent submissions to the federal government's review of the Indigenous digital divide included a warning from the Torres Shire Council:
"When telecommunications are lost or fail, our communities cannot make any emergency calls to first responders, and this is terribly dangerous and may be life-threatening," it noted.
"This serious situation must be addressed as a matter of urgency."
Dr Featherstone and his team have been focusing on 12 sample remote communities around the country, many of which regularly experience flooding and cyclone storm damage.
Wujal Wujal in far north Queensland was struck by severe flooding linked to Cyclone Jasper in December 2023, which destroyed homes and cut off access to essential services.
The scale of the damage from Tropical Cyclone Jasper in communities like Wujal Wujal is still becoming clear.
Tropical Cyclone Jasper inundated communities in far north Queensland, including Wujal Wujal. (Supplied)
It also knocked out the fibre optic cable connection, leaving the 280 residents without phone reception or internet for weeks.
Researcher Lyndon Ormond-Parker says the case highlights the need for backup systems.
"Poor-quality internet is a daily issue in places like health clinics, where the staff aren't able to access medical records online, and we've heard about situations where police can't access digital systems on court day because of unreliable internet," he said.
"But it's also dangerous — how do you get in touch with people if you're in trouble, whether it's domestic violence or an accident out on the road?"
The life or death implications were also highlighted by the Wadeye community, where staff from the local domestic violence refuge told researchers that women were unable to call for help during violent incidents.
"Without the ability to call police or safe house or any other support system, we saw a lot of women afterwards saying, 'Oh, these people knew that we couldn't call," the report quoted staff as saying.
"So really opportunistic and quite violent behaviours, and a huge backlog of jobs just because people weren't being able to report it."
Solutions on the way
The federal government is today releasing a First Nations Digital Inclusion Roadmap that outlines the long-term plan for ensuring communities keep up with technological change.
It contains 30 recommendations, including improving training and support for people unfamiliar with the internet, expanding free public wi-fi networks, improving the resilience of communications infrastructure including power supplies and trialling new technology linked to the Low Earth Orbit satellite.
The road map was initiated after digital inclusion became a Closing the Gap Policy target in 2020, in recognition of its impact on other outcomes like safety, employment and health care.
Noongar woman and filmmaker Dot West co-chairs the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group, which has helped develop the road map document.
"There is a massive digital gap, but there's been a lot of progress," she said.
"It's been really good to see government and industry buy-in on this, because quite frankly, until everyone is connected, government and banks cannot transition all their services online.
"We as First Nations Australians tend to always be left behind … so we need to ensure our communities can catch up and stay abreast of the technology as it rolls out in the rest of the country."
The government is currently spending $68 million on rolling out Sky Muster satellite wi-fi in more than 20 remote Aboriginal communities, and employing digital mentors.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said in a statement that the road map would help guide future investment.
A phone box with a bright orange roof sits on a dirt road with bushland and a windmill behind it.
The First Nations Digital Inclusion Roadmap recommends expanding free public wi-fi networks and improving the resilience of communications infrastructure. (ABC News: Alistair Bates)
Posted12m ago12 minutes agoMon 9 Dec 2024 at 7:29pm
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