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Consortium to improve digital inclusion in Northern Australia
Vivien Lin
A new collaboration between the CRC for Developing Northern Australia and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will investigate the communication challenges currently faced by Northern Australia to improve the region’s digital inclusion.
Digital inclusion, which comprises access, affordability and digital ability, is key to ensuring economic prosperity, social inclusion and cohesiveness within regional communities. According to Deloitte , Australia’s digital economy will be worth $139 billion by 2020, making digital inclusion an essential component of future development.
However, weak telecommunications infrastructure and poor internet connectivity mean that many Northern Australian residents are being left out online. This digital exclusion can exacerbate social and economic disadvantages including remoteness, low levels of education and low-income status.
“We know northern Australians, particularly those living in north-west Queensland, the Northern Territory and rural and remote areas of Western Australia, are missing out on the benefits of being connected to technology or lack the skills and means to access the sorts of technology many Australians living in cities, and some larger regional centres, take for granted,” says Sheriden Morris, CRCNA Chair.
This issue has previously been acknowledged by the Northern Territory Farmers Association (NT Farmers), which believes its members should have access to the same quality of communications infrastructure as those in urban areas.
“Farming enterprises have an ever-increasing reliance on high speed and reliable data and voice communications, not only to be effective and competitive in their industry but also to support essential social and community connection needs that are even more important in remote and rural settings,” NT Farmers says in its Infrastructure Position Paper.
The 12-month Northern Australian Communication Analysis aims to enhance the profitability and competitiveness of farmers in Northern Australia and attract investors to implement affordable digital networks. It assembles a consortium of research, business and industry partners including QUT, James Cook University (JCU), Charles Darwin University (CDU), Centre for Appropriate Technology Ltd (CfAT) and Regional Development Australia, Northern Territory (RDANT).
Industry and community stakeholders including government bodies, regional development associations and agricultural organisations will be consulted on the barriers to improving connectivity in Northern Australia at a range of forums in Cairns and Darwin. This feedback will then be used to develop a five-year road map for digital inclusion research, practice and policy development in the region.
“We expect our research will help identify opportunities for efficiencies across key agricultural supply chains and help drive investment in digital technologies which are affordable, accessible and user-friendly for people living and working across the north,” says Associate Professor Michael Dezuanni from QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre.
“Further, the final Directions Paper will be a key catalyst in terms of influencing future investment and policy planning across the digital and communication infrastructure landscape,” Associate Professor Dezuanni says.
A draft Directions Paper is due to be delivered by the end of the year, with the final report due in mid-2020.
You can visit the project website here.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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