First Nations Digital Inclusion Roadmap
The Law Council of Australia provided a submission to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts in response to the Discussion Paper issued by the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group entitled First Nations digital inclusion roadmap.1
Historical and contemporary policies that impact development within First Nations and RRR communities in Australia often mean that people living in remote areas do not receive the same benefit from digital technologies as the rest of the population. Digital exclusion affects the capacity of First Nations people to, amongst other things, access education and support services, safely and effectively manage their finances, follow news and media and effectively participate in political and public life.
The Discussion Paper covers a wide range of issues relating to digital inclusion. This submission, informed closely by the experience of legal practitioners in RRR areas, focusses on the following aspects:
- digital infrastructure in RRR Australia is lacking, undermining the stability of communities and their ability to participate in the contemporary economy;
- investment in this infrastructure could promote rights to health, education and work, and contribute to economic self-determination for First Nations Australians in particular, while maintaining their connections with land and community;2
- appropriate investment in both infrastructure and digital literacy to facilitate its use could also assist with meeting relevant Closing the Gap targets (for example, targets 5, 6 and 17);
- consumer protections for First Nations telecommunications consumers, particularly those in situations of vulnerability or precariousness, need to be strengthened; and
- legal work in RRR areas of Australia is currently hampered by this unreliable infrastructure, which holds residents back from accessing relevant services on an equal basis with those in metropolitan areas.
Read the full submission below.
1 Discussion Paper accessed at: <https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/roadmap-discussion-paper.pdf>.
2 See recent Law Council submission on economic self-determination (forthcoming) and Law Council Submission to IP Australia on its interim report on standalone legislation to protect and commercialise Indigenous knowledge (10 November 2022): <https://lawcouncil.au/resources/submissions/response-to-consultation-on-the-interim-report-on-stand-alone-legislation-to-protect-and-commercialise-indigenous-knowledge>.
Last Updated on 21/08/2024
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