The $20m plan to close the digital divide

But with 2.5 million Australians – 10 per cent of the population – not online, according to the Australian Digital Inclusion Index, too many people are being left behind.

To help close the digital divide, Good Things Foundation national director Jess Wilson said a campaign was underway to encourage Australians aged 50 and over to enrol in the Be Connected program.

The $20 million government initiative – a free program funded by the Department of Social Services and delivered by the eSafety Commissioner and GTF – was developed to improve participant’s digital skills and confidence online.

“If Covid has taught us anything it is how essential having digital skills is today as so much of our lives are happening online,” Ms Wilson said.

“Connecting with grandkids, or being able to better manage your money, knowing how to contact essential government services, even being able to use a QR code, the focus of the government is to make all of this really accessible for people.

“Unless people have the confidence to use digital, they are going to be left behind.”

Visit www.goodthingsfoundation.org.au or phone 1300 795 897 to find your local Be Connected provider.

A large barrier to broadening digital horizons was fear, Ms Wilson said, followed by having the opportunity and access to equipment and education.

“Technology is new and it develops really fast so people feel a bit fearful about what they may find on the internet, whether it’s fear of something new or getting online and being scammed,” she said.

“We concentrate on having that local support with someone who will be patient and sit with them while they learn.”

The GTF works with 3500 community organisations across Australia to facilitate the Be Connected program, meaning it is uniquely tailored for the needs of each community.

BE CONNECTED IN NSW

Cultural Diversity Network Inc president Sabrin Farooqui said their community of mostly skilled migrants and asylum seekers in Western Sydney benefited greatly from the program.

“We started classes in late April after Covid hit and many participants were feeling disconnected because they had never used Zoom before,” Ms Farooqui said.

“Our participants come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and while they came here on skilled migration and are educated, they are not that skilled in technology information.”

Ms Farooqui said participants became confident using social media, Zoom, booking tickets, online shopping and using resources such as YouTube to learn new skills and explore hobbies.

One participant, Khurshid Ara Hai said: “I never thought I’d be able to email or use zoom to connect to my friends and family.

“I’ve explored a new world with this Be Connected digital literacy program.”

BE CONNECTED IN VIC

Jan Coleman, 64, was volunteering at family services provider Family Life in Cheltenham, Melbourne, when the Be Connected program was offered but quickly realised the program had a lot to offer her.

“I would sit with someone who had no idea how to navigate a computer and help them log on and create an email but the great thing was that every now and then I became a student,” she said.

“I learned about YouTube and I had never realised you can Google how to fix things, like how to fix the printer you’re about to throw on the floor.

“I have family in the UK so I learned how to FaceTime them and I also talk to my daughter and two grandchildren in Melbourne. They are the love and joy of my life, besides my fur babies.

“My birth mother passed away from Covid in April last year. Fortunately, I was able to use Zoom to watch her funeral, although not being there to support my sister was terribly hard.”

BE CONNECTED IN QLD

Be Connected tutor Jeni Scott started facilitating the program early last year through the Hurricane Stars Club in Logan.

When the community went into lockdown Ms Scott and her team made one-on-one visits to participants, as well as phone calls and Zoom classes to keep the program going.

“We have a culturally diverse community, so we knew digital literacy would be a barrier to them,” Ms Scott said.

“In general, so much is moving to technology as it replaces human interaction and then during Covid, it became vital for people to keep in touch with their family through digital, especially those with family and friends overseas.”

Visit www.goodthingsfoundation.org.au or phone 1300 795 897 to find your local Be Connected provider.