The federal government will spend around $190 million to provide IT training and support services to remote Australia and will allocate more than $10.1 million to fund a four-year IT training and support program in rural Australia.
Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson and Communications Minister Richard Alston announced the funding which will build on money already provided for the services under the Networking the Nation program.
The government will also invest $181 million to fulfil all 39 recommendations of the Estens Inquiry into Telstra, including IT training and telecommunications services.
The ministers said they were committed to ensuring people in regional Australia shared equitably in the benefits of advanced technologies (including broadband services), known as “future proofing”.
“Broadband will be the roads and rail of the 21st century, because of its ability to revolutionise communications, enhance the delivery of government services, transform business processes and catapult scientific research and discovery,” the ministers said.
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