Closing the digital divide in Australia has never been more important than it is today. In fact, one in four people in Australia are digitally excluded - that means they don't have the skills, confidence and access to affordable devices and data they need to keep up in today's society.
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Digital inclusion means ensuring people can use the internet and technology to improve their daily lives.
People who are digitally excluded miss out on all the opportunities that being online can provide including finding work, connecting with friends and family, saving money and accessing essential health and wellbeing services.
People who are digitally excluded are also likely to be socially excluded and are at risk of being left behind in an increasingly digital world.
Although people over 65 are the most likely to be digitally excluded it's not just older people. People with disabilities, low-income families, women, people in rural and regional areas, First Nations communities and migrants and refugees are all more likely to be excluded.
We saw this firsthand during the COVID-19 lockdowns when having access to the internet quickly became essential to accessing services and staying connected.
This time highlighted that not everyone in Australia has equal access to the internet, or has the skills to use technology confidently, independently and safely.
But with lockdowns ending, the ability to access technology is no less important.
Digital transformation has sped up and many essential government and other services require us to access them online. Whether it's using telehealth to see a doctor or applying for a job, digital inclusion is not just a tech issue, it's a human issue.
Yet, with the cost of living steadily rising, we're seeing people on low incomes finding it even harder to access the technologies they need to participate equally.
Essential items are continuing to go up in price, housing costs are rising, and people are having to make difficult choices about their household budgets.
Concerningly, research reveals that half of low-income households with home internet connections have difficulty paying for it. And while people often choose prepaid plans to fit their budget, this ends up costing more in the long-run.
Many people living in regional and remote communities still struggle to get mobile reception and they often have to pay more for the connection than people living in our cities.
We need to make accessing the internet affordable for everyone.
But for many people it's actually about just trying to keep up. Over 80 per cent of older Australians and 41 per cent of young people in Australia say they struggle to keep up with the pace of technological change.
That's why at Good Things Foundation Australia we have spent the past five years helping Australians improve their digital skills and confidence.
I passionately believe together we can create a world where everyone can fully participate. When people are given opportunities to learn digital skills in supportive trusted environments, their world opens up.
We've seen over 1 million Australians benefit from joining the digital world, like 76-year-old Mama Fe who discovered a passion for learning online skills, starting out as a student and going on to become a digital mentor for Melbourne's Australian-Filipino community.
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Or Gina, 83, who discovered long-lost family members after joining digital skills classes, registering on ancestry.com and learning to use video calling, allowing her to reconnect with her sister for the first time in over 50 years.
Each year we hold Get Online Week, a national campaign which raises awareness around the importance of being connected online and sees thousands of Australians who are at risk of digital exclusion participate in free, fun, digital skills events across the country.
Through these local community events and other initiatives like Be Connected, a program supporting older Australians, we aim to help improve digital literacy and do our part to combat digital exclusion.
We work with our network of more than 3500 community organisations across Australia to bring about social change through practical means.
The future is digital, but there is still so much to do to make sure no one is left behind.
- Jess Wilson is the chief executive officer at Good Things Foundation Australia - a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to closing the digital divide.
