31 October, 2024:

Watch the video of our October 2024 meetup: The Economic Benefits of Overcoming Digital Exclusion – A deep dive into Good Things Australia’s latest report.

We know that approximately 1 in 4 Australians remain digitally excluded (ADII 2023), but what would Australia look like if we were to overcome the challenge of digital exclusion?

This discussion dives into the important recent Good Things Australia report, Economic Benefits of Overcoming Digital Exclusion, which highlights the economic and social benefits of closing Australia’s digital divide.

Moderated by Good Things CEO Jess Wilson, with report author Nicki Hutley taking us through the detail and Tricia Pye from The Tec Exec outlining some powerful grassroots stories of digital enablement.

Watch the video at YouTube: The Economic Benefits of Overcoming Digital Exclusion – A deep dive into Good Things Australia’s latest report

6 December, 2023:

This essay by ADIA Convenor, Ishtar Vij and Patrick Kidd, CEO of the Future Skills Organisation was published as part of the Capability Papers series promoted by Innovation Aus.

Read the article at Innovation Aus: We need a common language for digital skills

19 September, 2024:

Watch the video of our September 2024 meetup: Positive impacts of AI – The intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Inclusion.

Much like we have seen with the rise of digital technologies, the uptake of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is touching a range of areas in our everyday lives. While there is a need to ensure that Australians are sufficiently skilled in digital capability and media literacy to best navigate an AI enabled world, we also recognise the positive impacts AI tools can have on digitally excluded cohorts, whether it’s through language translation, productivity enhancement or simply participation.

Our panel, moderated by Infoxchange CEO and ADIA Chair, David Spriggs, shares a diverse range of perspectives and experiences working with digitally excluded cohorts within the community.

Panellists:
Professor Michael Dezuanni, Queensland University of Technology, with insights from an education and digital inclusion perspective.
Kit McMahon, CEO of Women’s Health in the South East, with some positive use cases for AI as demonstrated by women within her community.

Watch the video at YouTube: Positive impacts of AI – The intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Inclusion

16 May, 2024:

The Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) welcomes the First Nations Digital Inclusion measures included in the Federal Budget, reflective of the recommendations made by the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group in their Initial Report. 

The expanded funding for the Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) of $6 million will improve national data collection on First Nations digital inclusion. ADIA Chair David Spriggs says:

“It’s pleasing to see the expansion of ADII funding to support more robust data collection for First Nations communities; this is something that the ADIA has long called for, and is a positive step.”

The $40 million roll out of community Wi-Fi in remote communities is a welcome first step in improving affordable connectivity. We note the Advisory Group’s finding that the need to move into public locations to access the internet can be problematic for vulnerable members of the community. The Advisory Group is currently seeking perspectives on how the affordability aspect of First Nations digital inclusion can be addressed in the long term and we encourage engagement with their consultation. 

The funding to establish a First Nations Digital Support Hub and a network of digital mentors will help improve digital ability among First Nations people. ADIA Chair David Spriggs says:

“We know that digital inclusion is a multifaceted challenge impacting one in four Australians, and we will continue our advocacy for measures to support bridging the digital divide.”

 

ENDS

March 20, 2024:

The Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) has released a new paper, A Digital Inclusion Approach to Device Donation and Reuse, which highlights the demand for affordable digital devices across Australia, challenges and opportunities in the role device donation can play in addressing this demand, and potential policy levers.

Access to an appropriate and affordable device is a fundamental part of being digitally included. It is a precursor to being able to participate in a range of online activities that have become synonymous with everyday life, including access to government services, banking, telehealth, studying and finding or undertaking employment.

One avenue to meet the demand for devices is encouraging appropriate device donation and reuse. Through an increase in device donation, there is an opportunity to significantly increase the number of devices available to vulnerable Australians.

Read the full media release here.

Read the paper by downloading one of the versions below:

 

October 25, 2023:

The Future Skills Organisation (FSO) and Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) launched their Capability Paper, kickstarting their campaign to uplift digital capability for all Australians.

Speaking at the Innovation Aus Capability Papers event in Canberra last week, the CEO of the Future Skills Organisation shared the opportunity at hand, to establish a simple description for digital capability which can be used to support all Australians to develop the digital capability necessary to meaningfully access work, learning, and life.

“We know how important it is that all citizens develop the digital skills necessary for work, learning and life. By combining a common language for digital skills with simple industry-led benchmarks, it will help us deliver these skills at scale for all Australians, while also providing the mechanism to measure outcomes to inform future decisions.” Mr Kidd said.

In his panel discussion, Mr Kidd drew from the co-authored Capability Paper titled Turbocharging digital capability, which outlines a three-pronged approach:
1. A commitment to every person being able to access training that enables them to lift their digital capabilities to at least the point at which they can meaningfully access work, learning and life.
2. The adoption of the Australian Digital Capability Framework (ADCF) as Australia’s national common language around what it means to be digitally capable.
3. The adoption of an agreed benchmark for digital capability for access to work, learning and life, anchored in the ADCF that then enables measurement.

The proposed approach builds on the Government White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities which recognised that the ADCF can “align and strengthen a wide variety of efforts to build the digital capability of the nation’s workforce.”

Convenor of the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA), Ishtar Vij, co-author of the Capability Paper, stresses the importance of ensuring that all Australians are included in this mission, reflecting on data highlighting that 23.6% of Australians remain digitally excluded in 2023.

“We know that those experiencing digital exclusion, including in relation to their digital capability level, are groups already facing barriers to education and employment: First Nations Australians, those with a disability, living in public housing, who’ve not completed schooling, senior Australians. Digital capability transcends a typical ‘tech job’.”

“It extends to being able to engage and participate in all aspects of work, learning and life. The Measuring What Matters Framework released by Treasury in August identifies Digital Preparedness as a key indicator of a Prosperous Australia. It is critical that we bring everyone along with us.” Ishtar Vij said.

Every worker now needs digital skills, and the opportunity of a digitally skilled population is considerable. It will increase productivity and enables people to realise their potential in work and life. The ability to use these technologies opens new career pathways for people from all backgrounds.

Mr Kidd believes that agreeing a benchmark based on the ADCF will help to stimulate the digital skilling
opportunity.

“Ensuring that all Australians have the digital skills required is large and ongoing effort. We need to build on what we already know, and we will only get there if there is close collaboration between industry, government, training providers and learners.”

The Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) and the Future Skills Organisation (FSO) welcome the Australian Government’s recognition of the Australian Digital Capability Framework (ADCF) as Australia’s national common language on digital capability.

As outlined in Working Future: The Australian Government’s White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities, the ADCF describes the broad digital capabilities required by the Australian workforce:

This will create a common language and collaboration on the implementation of digital skills for the VET reform pathways and help build the digital capability of the nation’s workforce. Using common, easily understood language, and a simple, intuitive structure, the Framework is helping to align and strengthen a wide variety of efforts to build the digital capability of the nation’s workforce (Working Future p. 208).

The recognition of the ADCF echoes the calls of both the ADIA and FSO, who have been jointly advocating for the adoption of the ADCF – extended to cover the most foundational digital capabilities – as Australia’s common language around what it means to be digitally capable.

The ADIA and FSO are proposing a program of work focused on uplifting digital capability in Australia including collaborative work with a range of stakeholders, seeking to gain consensus on a Digital Capability Benchmark for access to work, learning and life, anchored in the ADCF. Articulating this common benchmark will be critical in galvanising efforts across a range of organisations and sectors to significantly improve on current levels of digital ability.

ADIA Convenor, Ishtar Vij, said the Government’s recognition of the ADCF was a significant step in bridging the digital divide:

“In 2020 the ADIA published a National Digital Inclusion Roadmap which identified that while a lot of good work was happening in the sector, efforts were fragmented, uncovering over 100 different digital inclusion programs.”

“The lack of a common language around digital capability was found to be a significant barrier to progress, and this presents an opportunity to align efforts and measure success” Ms Vij said.

FSO CEO, Patrick Kidd, added:

“With a projected 370,000 digital worker shortfall for Australia by 2026, uplifting digital capability must be a national priority right across the spectrum, from those taking their first steps into the digitally enabled world, right through to those making up the pipeline of talent required for technical roles”.

Organisations and individuals wishing to be involved in stakeholder consultation are invited to sign up via the FSO website.

The Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) joined with the Future Skills Organisation (FSO) to commend the Australian Government for the integration of digital inclusion into Australia’s first wellbeing framework, Measuring What Matters.

The ADIA contributed written submissions to both rounds of consultation on the proposed framework calling for indicators focused on digital inclusion, specifically digital ability and affordable access to both an appropriate device and internet connection.

The inclusion of a Digital Preparedness indicator in Measuring What Matters, under the Prosperous Australia theme, acknowledges all three pillars of digital inclusion: access, affordability and digital ability.

We support the Government’s decision to use the ADII as the metric for Digital Preparedness. We note that Measuring What Matters was released just days after the latest Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) data, which shows that while Australia’s digital divide is narrowing, it remains substantial, with around one in four Australians digitally excluded or highly digitally excluded.

Digital technologies – and the ability to confidently, safely, and independently use them – are required for all Australians in a contemporary economy and society, for access to work, learning and life. This includes being able to access essential services such as health, education and the myriad government services accessible online, along with finding and undertaking employment, progressing along a career path, as well as being socially connected.

The ADIA and the FSO are jointly undertaking collaborative work, with a view to gaining consensus on a Digital Capability Benchmark for access to work, learning and life in Australia. Articulating this common aiming mark will be critical in galvanising efforts across a range of organisations and sectors to significantly improve on current levels of digital ability, and we look forward to providing a detailed briefing on this project to ADIA members in the coming weeks.

The Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance welcomed the release of the latest Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) data today which highlights that digital inclusion at the national level continues to steadily improve.

In her opening address, Telstra CEO Vicki Brady noted that digital exclusion shouldn’t be an outcome of increased digitisation, and while the digital economy is bringing social, economic and cultural benefits, these benefits are not being shared. Gathering and analysing the data around digital inclusion in Australia is the necessary starting point in addressing these challenges and improving accessibility, affordability and digital ability for all Australians.

Over recent years, Australia’s average Index score has improved from 67.5 (2020), to 71.1 (2021), to 73.2 (2023).

9.4% of the Australian population is highly excluded, registering an Index score of 45 or below, down from 10.6% in 2021; and the number of excluded Australians (those with an Index score above 45 and below 61) also decreased from 16.6% in 2021 to 14.2% in 2023. Whilst it is pleasing to see improvements to the national average, we must acknowledge that almost one quarter of Australians remain digitally excluded.

Similarly, we acknowledge the significant digital inclusion gaps across Australia’s geography and society.

  • Digital Ability has improved nationally, however, some groups are seeing declines in Digital Ability scores, including people in the lowest income quintile and Australians aged over 75.
  • Affordability has improved at a national level, however, people with disability, people living in public housing, people over the age of 75, and people who are currently unemployed are more likely to be experiencing affordability stress, meaning they would need to pay more than 5% of household income to maintain quality reliable connectivity.
  • The national Access score has increased from 70.0 in 2021 to 72.0 in 2023, however several groups remain well below the national average, including First Nations Peoples living in remote and very remote communities, people over 75 years of age, and those in the lowest income quintile.
  • The number of mobile-only users has slightly increased, from 9.6% in 2021 to 10.5% in 2023. Some groups, including people in very remote areas (32.6%), First Nations people (21.3%), and those on the lowest incomes (20.7%) continue to be overrepresented in their reliance on mobile-only access. Additionally, we know that mobile-only use also limits improvements to digital ability.

When it comes to First Nations Digital Inclusion, there is still a significant gap between First Nations and non-First Nations people in Australia, and we acknowledge that the 2023 Index, through the partnership with the Mapping The Digital Gap project, takes a significant step forward in providing data specific to First Nations communities.

We thank Telstra for their commitment to the Australian Digital Inclusion Index and congratulate the ADII team on a successful launch (ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT University).

Telstra is a Founding Member of the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance.

Visit the ADII website to review the key findings or download the 2023 Index report: https://www.digitalinclusionindex.org.au/

 

The ADIA recently held a meetup focused on the myGov review.

Our diverse panel of speakers took a deep dive into the review’s findings and shared their experiences assisting others with the use of the myGov platform. Many thanks to our panellists and moderator for sharing their insights and engaging with our audience on the day:

  • Amit Singh, member of the Australian Government’s expert independent review panel, and former Head of Global Economic Policy at Uber;
  • Dr Kim Osman, Senior Research Associate at Queensland University of Technology’s Digital Media Research Centre;
  • Rebecca Atkinson from the York Community Resource Centre;
  • And moderator, David Spriggs, ADIA Chair and CEO of Infoxchange.

If you missed out on the discussion, or you’d like to watch it again, you can find a recording of the meetup on the ADIA’s YouTube channel (Click here to watch).