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https://theconversation.com/digital-inclusion-and-closing-the-gap-how-first-nations-leadership-is-key-to-getting-remote-communities-online-216085>
"There are more than 1,500 remote First Nations communities and homelands
around Australia, and about 670 of them have no mobile phone coverage. In
research with 495 people from ten remote communities, we found 45.9% were
“highly excluded” from increasingly important digital services and tools.
Digital inclusion for First Nations people is part of the National Agreement on
Closing the Gap. The agreement calls for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people to have “access to information and services enabling participation in
informed decision-making regarding their own lives”, and “equal levels of
digital inclusion as other Australians by 2026”.
There is still some way to go, as our research shows. As one person in a remote
community described their situation, “the internet here in Galiwin’ku past 10am
is hopeless. [It] further marginalises people already living in an isolated
community.”
A new report by the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group, released
today, proposes a series of practical strategies to the Australian government
to reduce the digital divide for First Nations Australians, particularly those
living in remote communities and homelands."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
