Free Wi-Fi the tonic for young disadvantaged

Internet access in struggling communities could help close the gap,

IN 2010 I was fortunate to visit Sri Lanka, a country similar in size to Tasmania, recovering from a brutal civil war and in the process of introducing a universal internet access. To me, it was evidence of a recuperating country forging a new direction, seizing an opportunity to provide information and access to knowledge in its war-torn community.

We are now living in the internet age. The internet is globally providing access to a great depth of information. However, not all Tasmanians have access to the internet and therefore information and in turn knowledge. To many Tasmanians having internet access at home or on a mobile device is a privilege.

Telstra statistics show Tasmania’s Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) score is the lowest of any state or territory with the gap between Tasmania and the national average widening every year. We must act now or the access gap will amplify.

There is a documented lack of internet access in Tasmania’s most disadvantaged communities. This hampers education and job opportunities. Communities recording levels of high social disadvantage now have an ADII score 9.2 points below the state average, which is 16 points below the national average.

We know entrenched disadvantage is concentrated in a small number of communities. We know there is a direct link between social disadvantage and access to information.

According to the 2015 “Dropping Off the Edge” report, internet access correlates with nine other indicators of social disadvantage. Social disadvantage blocks life chances and prevents people from participating fully in society. The difficulties are wider than financial resources. They include poor health, disabilities, lack of education and skills, and inequitable treatment or discrimination.

Affordability and digital ability are the biggest contributors to Tasmania’s digital divide. This means young people in more affluent communities where a Wi-Fi or internet access is in the family home or on a mobile device are given the opportunity to thrive whilst their counterparts in less affluent communities without this access do not have the same opportunities.

We need to level out the playing field. We need to ensure all students are able to have the same access to information. This will only occur through cultural change, investment and opportunities to empower people with information and knowledge.

One component could be free basic public Wi-Fi in disadvantaged communities. We know this would combat inequality because access to information and knowledge will lead to better education and job opportunities. We should be fighting to address inequality instead of maintaining complacent policies that acerbate the growing divide.

Investing in a pilot project to provide a blanket of free public Wi-Fi in our most disadvantaged community needs to be considered.

Investment by the State Government to fund $1 million for tourism/business hotspots was well received by businesses but did nothing to solve the gap between the haves and the have-nots. If a government can fund free basic internet access why not explore practical strategies to provide free basic internet access for our most disadvantaged communities?

The Dropping Off the Edge report indicated that types of disadvantage “weave together in a way that is likely to reduce life opportunities ... the interplay between internet access, low family income, overall education, young adults not engaged in work or study, receipt of disability support, long-term unemployment and criminal convictions.”

Internet access is not the silver bullet or the entire solution to minimising entrenched inequality and poverty but it is worth exploring the concept of investing in basic free public internet access in Tasmanian communities that continue to struggle with social disadvantage.

If Sri Lanka can provide coverage to their people then surely a Tasmanian government should investigate strategies to ensure all Tasmanians can access the internet and information.

We must address inequality now otherwise the gap between those who have access to information and knowledge and those who do not will continue to widen. Jen Butler is a Labor candidate for the electorate of Lyons in the upcoming Tasmanian state election.