Government makes $60m response to Glasson

Stuart Corner
Friday, 06 March 2009 00:50

IT Industry - Market

The minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy, senator Stephen Conroy, has tabled the government's response to the Glasson enquiry into regional telecommunications and committed an initial $60m to series of initiatives, as recommended by Glasson.

The money will be spent on education, health and emergency services projects, greater access to satellite phones, and an expansion of computer and Internet access for remote Indigenous communities. The Government had indicated, prior to Glasson, that it would invest up to $400m for responses to Glasson's recommendations. Glasson recommended an investment of 10 to 15 percent of the available funds in the Government's initial response.

The $60m will comprise:
•    $46m in new funds for the Digital Regions Initiative to improve the delivery of education, health and emergency services in regional, rural and remote communities in partnership with state, territory and local governments. Those seeking funding will be required to match federal funding. Applications will be called no later than September 2009 with projects expected to commence in early 2010. Projects will be selected through a competitive selection process and will be expected to offer sustainable solutions and longer term benefits for regional Australians. They may include: remote medical consultation, diagnosis and treatment to address regional skills shortages; digital resources and services such as teleconferencing to improve access to educational opportunities for regional, rural and remote students; and digital technologies to improve emergency and disaster response.

•    $11.4m in new funds to increase and extend the subsidies available under the Satellite Phone Subsidy Scheme for Australians living and working in areas without terrestrial coverage. The scheme was scheduled to conclude on 30 June 2009 with applications closing on 30 April 2009. It will now continue until June 2013. Improvements include: subsidy increase to 85 percent of the handset cost, up from the current 60 percent, including for the replacement of handsets purchased over three years ago; additional individual handset subsidies for health and emergency service organisations, up from the current limit of two.

•    An additional $3.7m contribution to a $30m refocused Indigenous Communications Program to improve essential telecommunications services for remote indigenous communities in partnership with states and territories. Over four years commencing in 2009-10 the program will deliver: a fixed or mobile satellite community telephone to around 300 remote indigenous communities that do not currently have access to a public telephone; ongoing monitoring and maintenance of around 550 indigenous community telephones, comprising around 300 new phones and 250 existing phones; and in collaboration with state and territory governments, expanded public Internet access and delivery of computer training in up to 120 remote Indigenous communities that have limited or no public access internet facilities.
(Details or recommendations rejected by the government are on page 2)

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