Mapping the Digital Gap

Limited mobile reception on the Torres Strait Islands has a large impact on the movement of fisher- men and women like Lala, who is unable to go to her main fishing spots due to the lack of signal sparking safety concerns. Out soon - the #shortfilm 'End of the Line' will be available on YouTube this Thursday 31 October. 'End of the Line' stars Lala Gutchen, Erub Meuram woman from Erub Island, as she navigates the challenges of patchy mobile and internet coverage at the very edge of Australia's 4G network. The film explores how longstanding cultural practices such as fishing and language maintenance have been irrevocably shaped by modern communications challenges. Lala is a Erub First Language program coordinator and educator, cultural leader, and NAIDOC award winner. End of the Line is a co-production of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society and Torres Strait Islander Media Association (TSIMA).

Project proposals for improved regional mobile coverage via the Mobile Black Spot Program (MBSP) are currently being sought via a noticeboard aimed at local councils & state/territory/federal parliamentarians. MBSP funding is targeted at natural disaster-prone locations in regional and rural Australia to better assist local communities during and after emergencies. If you've a project in mind, you can register your proposal at: https://lnkd.in/g88467gv

We had an amazing debut screening of our short documentary 'End of the line' last night, showcasing the incredible language and cultural maintenance work of our Erub Meuram co-researcher Lala Gutchen, alongside TSIRC Councillor Nixon Mye. We were especially delighted that Lala and Nixon were able to join us for the post-screening Q&A, discussing research advocacy, communications challenges, and the impact of climate change on the Torres Strait. The film premiered at #ADMS2024 as part of ‘Human Touch in a Digital World', alongside three excellent films produced by our fellow research teams showcasing distinct perspectives on the role of technology in everyday life - its risks and opportunities for marginalised communities. And stay tuned - 'End of the line' will be available on YouTube in a few weeks 🐟🎥 Photo: left to right - Sarah Pink, Lala Gutchen, Leah Hawkins, Daniel Featherstone, and Nixon Mye

Incredible panel last night in Sydney at #ADMS2024 with our Erub co-researchers Lala Gutchen (First Language educator/NAIDOC award winner) and Nixon Mye (TSIRC Councillor), as well as Bri-anne Lake (treasurer, and former President of First Nations Society at UTS), and moderator Cheryl Bailey (CEO and Founder, Indigenous Technology Group and FNDIAG Expert Panel member). The panel foregrounded First Nations perspectives on the role of mobilities and digital connectivity in a contemporary context; discussing movement, cultural protocols, and maintenance of family ties in urban, regional, and remote contexts. Au Esoau to Lala and Nixon for making the long trip southwards and sharing your insights on how unreliable communications impacts movement in the Torres Strait and thank you to Cheryl and Bri-anne for sharing your unique perspectives on tech & digital training and experiences of the diaspora. First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society Torres Strait Island Regional Council

'End of the Line' stars our co-researcher Lala Gutchen, Erub Meuram woman from Erub in the Torres Strait, as she navigates the challenges of patchy mobile and internet coverage at the very edge of Australia's 4G network. The film explores how longstanding cultural practices such as fishing and language maintenance have been irrevocably shaped by modern communications challenges. Lala is a Erub First Language program coordinator and educator, cultural leader, and NAIDOC award winner, and it has been incredible for the team to work with Lala for this short film and on Mapping the Digital Gap research since 2022. 'End of the Line' is premiering at UNSW Sydney tomorrow, Wed 16 Oct, at 6pm for the #ADMS2024 Symposium. Tickets are still available at https://lnkd.in/gmaRBsVa. End of the Line is a co-production of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society and Torres Strait Islander Media Association (TSIMA).

Phenomenal effort from the Mapping the Digital gap research team in compiling and publishing all community reports from 2023! The reports are an important part of our commitment to Indigenous data sovereignty, providing survey data and analysis of interviews / research findings back to participating communities & partner organisations who make this work possible.

The 2023 Community Update Report from Tennant Creek, NT, has been published and is available on the APO at https://lnkd.in/gJMG2yzg. Tennant Creek is a regional town in Northern Territory, on the Stuart Highway between Alice Springs and Darwin. As well as including a site in the Barkly region, we wanted to document the impact of a planned Wi-Fi network project which aimed to provide free Wi-Fi access in the seven Community Living Areas (CLAs) in Tennant Creek. Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation initiated the project in 2021 to provide internet access near residents’ homes and reduce the need for youth to gather in town at night in search of Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the project has been delayed several times, partially due to concerns over ongoing operational costs and coordination. When we returned in 2023, two agencies were involved and four hotspots had been installed but not yet activated. Since then, there have been further delays with only one Wi-Fi service activated. While we weren't able to return to Tennant Creek in 2024, there have been recent developments, with Barkly Regional Council now coordinating Wi-Fi projects across the town. Two solar Wi-Fi benches were installed at Wuppa and Tingkarli CLAs on 30 August 2024, and four additional hotspots are scheduled later this month. We are hoping to return to Tennant Creek in 2025 to check on the impact of these new services. More information on the Wi-Fi projects are included as a case study on p. 39, as well as cohort analysis on combined 2022 / 2023 data showing local digital divides within Tennant Creek's First nations population based on employment and education factors. Thank you to our local partner organisation Julalikari Council for their support of this research, and to our 2023 co-researchers Deborah Cain and Floyd King. Thanks also to the residents and agency staff of Tennant Creek for their participation and valuable contributions to the research. This is the final Mapping the Digital Gap community update report from our 2023 visits, with 2024 update reports to follow. We will also publish our annual Outcomes report later this year summarising our findings from all communities from 2022-2024. Photos: 1. Floyd doing survey with elder John Duggie 2. Newly installed solar Wi-Fi benches at Wuppa and Tingkarli CLAs, with wireless charging station (courtesy of Easyweb Digital) 3. Report cover #digitalinclusion Barkly Regional Council Central Land Council Barkly Regional Arts

It's good to see that Telstra and Optus have both delayed their 3G network shutdown to 28 October 2024, after a Senate committee inquiry recommended the delay due to risks to public safety and emergency services. While the closure of 3G networks was announced in 2019, there is still very low awareness of the switch-off among First Nations people living in remote communities and homelands. This is despite many remote First Nations consumers still being largely reliant on the 3G network, which tends to be more stable for voice calls, with a broader footprint for those travelling outside communities for work and to engage in traditional cultural activities. Telecommunications companies need to ensure that 4G coverage will be expanded to cover current 3G footprints before the 3G shutdowns. #digitalinclusion #firstnations #closingthegap #target17

It's very exciting to see that the Productivity Commission is now using 2023 Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) First Nations data as the measurement for Closing the Gap target 17! The target is aimed at ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal levels of digital inclusion by 2026. As we transition into the second phase of Mapping the Digital Gap next year, we remain committed to delivering precise and timely data, including an updated Index score every two years, as well as case studies on the community-driven programs that are beginning to shift the dial. With 2026 on the horizon, tracking digital inclusion with up-to-date data will be crucial for targeted program investment and working with communities to close the digital gap. You can view the ADII data on the Closing the Gap Information Repository at https://lnkd.in/d_qNqXGA #digitalinclusion #target17 #closingthegap #firstnations

The 2023 Community Update Report from Wadeye, NT, has been published and is available on the APO at https://lnkd.in/gQAPjEAN During our 2023 visit to Wadeye, we heard similar issues to the year before, with congestion in the town's 4G service from mid-morning to midnight due to high usage, lack of public phones or Wi-Fi access, high turnover and sharing of mobile phones, and affordability concerns due to reliance on pre-paid mobile data. A lack of access facilities and support was resulting in high demand on family members and service providers' digital support. The primary update since 2022 was the rapid uptake of Starlink low-earth orbit satellite services by several local agencies, including TDC-managed facilities and the Murrinhpatha store, all of whom reported higher speeds and more reliable internet. This has improved efficiency and provides much needed backup during network outages, which had significantly impacted the community in 2022. There is very limited communications access in many of the surrounding Thamarrurr homelands. With planning underway to improve services and facilities in many homelands to enable residents to live there full-time, reliable and affordable communications will be a critical factor. There is a case study on homeland communications included in this report, along with an audit of existing infrastructure. During our third visit to Wadeye last week, we were invited to Fossil Head homeland to discuss the need for appropriate communications services. We found a range of old infrastructure in place, but nothing currently working. Thank you to our local partner organisation Thamarrurr Development Corporation for their support, and to 2023 co-researchers Vincent Jinjair, Honorata Narjic, and Theresa Jinjair for their fantastic work. Thanks also to the residents and agency staff of Wadeye for their participation and valuable contributions to the research. We will deliver the final community update report in early 2025. Photos: 1. Wadeye research team in 2023 - left to right: Daniel Featherstone, Vincent Jinjair, Honorita Jinjair, Teresa Jinjair, and Leah Hawkins 2. Vincent doing a survey with Claire Tcherna 3. Daniel and Teresa with traditional owner Margaret Perdjert (middle), Chairperson of Murrin Bata Tribal Development and Liasion Officer for local police, fire and emergency services in Wadeye 4. Wadeye, NT community update report cover #digitalinclusion THAMARRURR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LIMITED