NT communities’ digital, communications gap to close by 2026

The commonwealth has launched an ambitious plan to give all Australians, from Maningrida to Melbourne, the same digital access within three years. Here’s how one community leader says it could change everything.

A bold new plan to meet a key Closing The Gap target has the power to take Aboriginal people out of poverty “in a single generation”, according to an Indigenous business specialist.

The federal government on Sunday launched its First Nations Digital Inclusion Plan, which aims to give all Australians, from Maningrida to Melbourne, the same access to affordable internet and telco services by 2026.

Communications Minister Michelle Roland was in Darwin on Sunday to spruik the strategy, which includes $30m for infrastructure development in remote Indigenous communities.

“It will be a challenge to meet this target, but we are up for that challenge,” she said.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has launched the government’s plan to create equal digital access for all Australians by 2026. Picture: David Swift

“The (digital) gap is 7.5, which means that on a points basis, we have nearly a 10 point gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous and that actually gets worse as you get more remote.

“There are some remote communities where we’re not only talking about access to the internet or access to telephony, it’s access to radio, it’s access to television services, it’s access to public Wi-Fi, even in some cases access to pay phones.”

Ms Rowland said the plan, which has been developed with the industry, would encourage the private sector to improve digital connectivity on the pillars of access, affordability and ability.

“This needs to be a whole of Australia effort … (if) we are going to experience that transformational power of ICT for First Nations Australians,” she said.

“(It) will make a measurable difference in not only their quality of life, but the quality of the Australian economy overall.”

NT Indigenous Business Network investment specialist Naomi Anstess, who is also a Larrakia Nation board member and independent director, has welcomed the plan. Picture: Larrakia Nation

NT Indigenous Business Network investment specialist Naomi Anstess, who is also a Larrakia Nation board member, said better digital connectivity could “take our people out of poverty in a single generation”.

“We know that access is really important and infrastructure in our remote communities isn’t just roads, it’s high speed networks, it’s accessibility to ongoing stable infrastructure that will keep everybody online,” she said.

“Aboriginal people per capita are the highest users of social media in the world – so we know how to do that and we know how to network.

“We need the reliability to be able to take that into commercial environments.

“It will help us to create innovative new economies online particularly in tourism, arts, culture and digital tech.”

Telstra’s First Nations Strategy and Engagement head Lauren Ganley, who is also an expert panel member of the First Nations Digital Inclusion advisory group, said Telstra is “absolutely committed” to closing the digital gap within three years.

“We fund the digital inclusion research and more recently the mapping the gap research, which focuses on remote Australia,” she said.

“Telstra does want to collaborate across industry, with governments to close this gap by 2026.”

Originally published as NT communities’ digital, communications gap to close by 2026