Australia's digital divide — the gap between those who can fully participate in the digital economy and digital society, and those who cannot — is a significant and growing equity issue. As government services, employment, healthcare, banking, and social connection increasingly require internet access and digital skills, those who lack access or skills are progressively excluded. Grant funding supports device access programs, affordable internet initiatives, digital literacy for disadvantaged groups, and the infrastructure that brings technology to underserved communities.
Who is digitally excluded
Dimensions of digital exclusion
Consequences of digital exclusion
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications
Services Australia
Digital service delivery and support.
Department of Education
Student device and connectivity programs.
State governments
Digital inclusion programs for seniors, disadvantaged communities.
Telstra Foundation
Digital inclusion as a core mission.
NBN Co Community Grants
Connectivity and digital inclusion.
Good Things Foundation Australia
Digital inclusion for older and disadvantaged Australians.
Google.org
Digital skills and inclusion programs.
The Smith Family
Digital access and skills for disadvantaged students.
NAIDOC and Indigenous foundations
Technology access for First Nations communities.
Device access
Affordable internet
Digital skills for seniors
Digital skills for disadvantaged communities
First Nations digital inclusion
CALD community digital inclusion
People with disability
Telehealth access
Children and young people
Good Things Foundation Australia (part of the UK-originated Good Things network) provides a network-based model for digital inclusion:
- Works through a network of Online Centres (libraries, community centres, nonprofits)
- Delivers training through trusted community organisations
- Has developed proven digital skills curricula
- Provides national scale through local trusted organisations
Applications partnering with or building on the Good Things model benefit from an established, evidence-based framework.
Combination approach
Device access without skills training doesn't produce digital inclusion. Connectivity without devices or skills doesn't either. Applications that address multiple dimensions — device, connectivity, and skills together — are more likely to produce genuine inclusion.
Trust and relationship
Digital skills training is most effective when delivered by trusted, familiar organisations — not government services or unfamiliar agencies. Applications that leverage community organisations (neighbourhood centres, libraries, churches) for delivery are more likely to reach excluded populations.
Targeted populations
Generic digital inclusion programs reach people who are already somewhat included. Applications that specifically target the most excluded — remote First Nations communities, older Australians without family support, people experiencing homelessness — are more impactful.
Sustainability
One-off device or training programs don't produce lasting inclusion if there's no ongoing support. Applications with peer support, helplines, or follow-up are more durable.
Tahua's grants management platform supports digital inclusion funders and technology access organisations — with participant tracking, skills outcome measurement, device and connectivity data, and the reporting tools that help digital inclusion funders demonstrate their investment in closing Australia's digital divide.