Internet access in Aboriginal communities

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Internet yet to reach Aboriginal communities

80% of all Australians access the internet regularly, but just 6% of residents in some remote Aboriginal communities even have a computer [1].

In 2007 only 10% of Aboriginal communities had access to the internet [7]. In some communities, as few as 2% of residents have an internet connection. 58% had used a computer in the past but a third of those had never been online.

Access to the internet within Indigenous communities is becoming vital to ensure delivery of services, particularly in education and health, and to keep abreast of technological advancement.—Australian Bureau of Statistics report [7]

One issue preventing more computer access is infrastructure, with many communities having no generators for power.

Three-quarters of internet users in remote areas were under 30, unsurprisingly, since about 33% of the Aboriginal population is of that age, compared to around 20% of non-Aboriginal Australians [2].

Broadband technology can also help support job seekers in remote communities where mobile phone coverage is patchy at best. TAFE South Australia Regional offers small group sessions, self-paced training resources and an e-tutor for learning support [4].

With the National Broadband Network (NBN) these statistics hopefully improve. But remote communities are likely to be connected to the NBN via satellites due to their isolation [3]. While these provide download speeds of up to 12 Mbps (megabits per second), faster than many ADSL2+ connections provided today, upload speeds will stay at 1 Mbps, preventing real-time video streaming of content [1].

In April 2008, six remote Western Australian Aboriginal communities close to the border to the Northern Territory and South Australia were connected to high-speed broadband via a fibre optic network [6].

Previously communities had used satellite phone connections which were very unreliable and unusable for clinics.

The broadband network allows people doing business from home instead of travelling hundreds of kilometres to Perth or Kalgoorlie. It also allows tele-conferences with special doctors or in courtrooms, allowing people to attend court appearances without leaving the community. Many Aboriginal people don’t like leaving their communities for errands and business [6].

Farewell Facebook

Thereʼs something so strange
and sadly deranged
about the unreal nature
of this fleeting exchange

The transfer of gigabytes
canʼt replace shared emotion
just like a chlorine pool
canʼt substitute the ocean

Iʼll stick to Hotmail
and sunsets by the sea
so in traditional Dhurga language
I say walawaani.

Poem by Jonathan Hill, Old Erowal Bay, NSW [5]. Read more Aboriginal poetry.