Consortium to improve digital inclusion in Northern Australia

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.