Good morning, everyone.
I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Ngunnawal people and pay my respects to elders past and present.
And thanks to you, Jess Wilson, and the whole team at the Good Things Foundation for inviting me to launch the Economic Benefits of Overcoming Digital Exclusion report.
As the report highlights, digital inclusion can improve employment opportunities, reduce loneliness and isolation, and enable better access to healthcare and government services.
However, this report tells us that up to a quarter of the population is unable to fully participate online because they lack the ability to access, afford, or effectively use digital technologies.
While there are a number of contributing factors, a lack of skills should not be the driver of the digital divide.
As Assistant Minister for Ageing, I’ve been particularly looking at this from the perspective of older Australians.
I have been spending a lot of time speaking with older people about the ongoing contribution they make to our communities, along with their priorities and concerns.
Something I hear frequently is that older people often feel excluded or left out of a rapidly changing world.
They feel underestimated despite having been perfectly capable across their lives thus far.
This feeling is particularly true of the online and digital world – older people can feel excluded or even discriminated against when they are told to “just Google it” or “fill out this form online”.
When I have these conversations, I am quick to tell older Australians about the Be Connected program, which has helped more than 2 million older Australians get online safely and with confidence.
The feedback I hear about Be Connected is overwhelmingly positive, and I congratulate the Good Things Foundation and your network partners on the ongoing success of this program.
Older Australians appreciate having the time and space to ask questions, build their skills and knowledge, and even have some fun learning how to safely use social media or online games and apps.
I had a recent conversation with Jess where I suggested a lack of skills or confidence might be a time-limited problem – that future generations will have grown up with technology. But she rightly pointed out that tech is moving so much faster than we are ageing.
I know I feel that, and I’m sure many of you here today can relate.
Digital inclusion is a priority for the Albanese Government, which is why we are providing $42 million to continue the Be Connected program until June 2028.
We are also supporting the Good Things Foundation to deliver Digital Sisters for migrant and refugee women, and the Digital Champions program, which engages people with intellectual disability as digital mentors to help educate peers and community organisations about how to build digital skills and confidence.
Closing the Gap in digital inclusion for First Nations Australians is a national priority.
Target 17 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap aims for equal levels of digital inclusion for First Nations Australians by 2026, and the Albanese Government has provided $68 million for First Nations digital inclusion measures in the 2024-25 Budget.
Next week is Get Online Week, an initiative by the Good Things Foundation that the Albanese Government is proud to support.
There are already more than 1,000 events planned across Australia and I look forward to joining a session or two.
I want to thank Jess Wilson and the Good Things Foundation and also economist Nicki Hutley, for your work on the report we are launching today.
It highlights the important role that ongoing research plays in reducing digital exclusion in Australia.
The Albanese Government is committed to an Australia where everyone can participate fully.
We want all Australians, no matter where they live or what stage of their life they are in, to have the ability to get online safely and with confidence.
Thank you for helping us to realise this vision.