Digital inclusion is not just having access to the internet, it means being able to afford mobiles, computers and internet connection and having the skills to use it safely.
Being able to access, afford and use digital technology is an important part of participating in today’s world.
Target 17 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap commits the government to ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal levels of digital inclusion by 2026.
Co-leading the NSW Government and NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (NSW CAPO) approach to Closing the Gap Target 17, BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation (BlaQ) and NSW Department of Customer Service (DCS) work together to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have access to information and services enabling participation in informed decision-making regarding their own lives.
To advance Target 17, BlaQ and DCS have partnered with Nous Group to conduct a baseline evaluation, focusing on digital access, affordability, ability, and media participation.
An Aboriginal-led team yarned with 252 community members in 14 communities in New South Wales. 292 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people filled out a survey about how they use digital and media. To help measure change over time this survey was used to develop an Index, which is a score out of 100 – with 100 meaning high digital inclusion and zero meaning no digital inclusion.
The report, stemming from this research, found that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are engaging in the digital world even though they experience barriers. The digital inclusion score for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW is 59 out of 100. While it is not possible to compare directly, this result is much lower than the Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) score of 73.2 for all Australians.
Overall, all of the index scores are lower for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW compared to similar measures for the general population (such as the ADII). This means there is still work to do to improve people’s access and abilities as well as the affordability of devices and connection and experiences with media. Addressing digital inclusion challenges requires working with communities to understand their needs and working together to design solutions based on local strengths.
BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to elders past, present and future. We acknowledge and pay special respects to our LGBTQSB+ mob. We honour their legacy in everything we do.
