ACCAN welcomes today's announcement that the Government will invest $11.6 million to deliver free community Wi-Fi to remote First Nations communities in the Northern Territory.
This announcement represents a significant investment in reliable connectivity, something that is critically needed in rural, regional and remote Australia, and comes in the wake of deeply concerning reports that the remote Northern Territory community of Wadeye has experienced nine weeks of rolling Telstra outages - leaving locals unable to make calls by mobile or landline, or access the internet.
Connectivity isn't a matter of convenience, it's a critical public safety issue, and remote communities are far too often cut off from basic telecommunications and internet services.
ACCAN recently shared reports of remote First Nations communities having to light signal fires because, having waited months for a single public pay phone to be repaired, there was no other way to call for help. This investment in community WiFi will provide communities with a free and more reliable channel to essential services and can act as a much-needed backup when other connectivity goes down.
Today's announcement was jointly made by the Minister for Communications, Anika Wells MP, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, the Northern Territory Minister for Corporate and Digital Development, Joshua Burgoyne MLA, and the Member for Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour MP.
ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett said, "Reliable and affordable connectivity isn't a luxury, it's an essential service, and when you live in remote parts of Australia, that access is even more critical. We welcome the Government's announcement and support this investment into critical connectivity for remote First Nations communities in the Northern Territory. "
"In remote parts of Australia, connectivity is often critical to engagement with education, healthcare and essential services providers, as well as - critically - a lifeline to Triple Zero."
"In the wake of deeply concerning reports that the community of Wadeye has experienced nine weeks of rolling Telstra outages, leaving locals completely cut off, this investment is much-needed and very timely."
About us:
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is Australia's peak communication consumer organisation. The operation of ACCAN is made possible by funding provided by the Commonwealth of Australia under section 593 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. This funding is recovered from charges on telecommunications carriers.
