The digital divide: the Australian Government's role in addressing 'ability'

The impending roll-out of the NBN provides an opportunity to address the inequitable access to high-speed broadband, and to empower citizens to effectively use new technologies as they become available. This paper seeks to briefly highlight the technological inequality in Australia, outline Australian Government policies and programs aimed to address the digital divide, and discuss potential gaps that require attention. Focus is concentrated on Australian Government facilitated educational and informational policies designed to reduce the digital knowledge divide. Given the massive investment of taxpayer funds in the NBN, it is argued that further educational measures are required to ensure citizens have the ability to make use of available technology, and thus gain the maximum benefit from the NBN.