The department is seeking your views on the draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines (draft Guidelines for the upcoming First Nations Community Wi-Fi grant program.
Why we want your input
Your input will shape how the program is delivered and help ensure First Nations community needs are at the centre of program design and delivery. We want stakeholders to be able to have their say on the draft Guidelines before they are finalised and a call for applications is made.How you can voice your opinion
You can provide feedback on the draft Guidelines by using the ‘Have Your Say’ button. Alternatively, you can email your submission to FirstNationsDigitalInclusion@infrastructure.gov.auWhat will be the outcome of this consultation?
Your feedback will help us finalise the Guidelines and ensure the program is fit‑for-purpose and meets the connectivity needs of individual communities.The Issue
Closing the gap in digital inclusion is critical to supporting First Nations people and communities to:
- access essential online services such as telehealth, Centrelink and online learning; and
- fully participate in and enjoy the economic and social opportunities that come with using digital technologies.
Following recommendations from the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group (Advisory Group) in their initial report October 2023, the Australian Government announced funding for the First Nations Community Wi-Fi Program. This program is one of the practical measures the Government is taking to support digital inclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, by investing $20 million (GST exclusive) over three years to fund eligible projects to deliver free community Wi-Fi solutions in remote and very remote communities.
Further information can be found at www.infrastructure.gov.au/FNDI.
Under the draft Guidelines this funding will be awarded to suitable applicants through an open competitive grants process and will target First Nations communities in remote locations with poor levels of connectivity and digital inclusion to provide them with sustainable, place-based solutions, that meets their needs.
The grant opportunity is expected to open for applications in January 2025, following the consultation period.
We’re seeking feedback on:
- The draft Guidelines
- Communities that would benefit
- How the needs of communities should be considered
Relevant documentation
Draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines for First Nations Community Wi-Fi Program
Document
Document
Participate
19 Nov 2024 19:00 AEDT
15 Dec 2024 17:00 AEDT
Open
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We invite you to tell us your views on this topic.
Please include:
- contact name
- organisation name, if applicable
- contact details, including telephone number, postal and email addresses
- confirmation whether or not your submission can be made public—published—or kept confidential.
All submissions to be made public need to meet the Digital Service Standard for accessibility. Any submission that does not meet this standard may be modified before being made public.
If your submission is to be made public, please ensure you do not include any personal information that you don't want to be published.
If your submission is confidential, please ensure each page of the submission is marked as confidential.
Please click on the 'Have your say now' button below to upload your submission.
Alternatively please email your completed submission to FirstNationsDigitalInclusion@infrastructure.gov.au
Privacy Collection Notice
Your submission, including any personal information supplied, is being collected by the department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (“the department”) in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.
Use
the department may use your submission in connection of its review of the First Nations Community Wi-Fi Program including the development of new Grant Opportunity Guidelines.
Disclosure
the department may publish your submission as explained below. Otherwise your submission will not be disclosed unless authorised or required by law.
Contacting You
the department may use your contact information to make further contact with you about your submission and the consultation process.
Publication
Unless marked confidential (see below) submissions (including the author’s name) may be published in part or full on the department’s website or in any public response by the department. When publishing, the department will redact any personal contact details of the author. Work contact details are not redacted.
Confidentiality
Confidential submissions will not be published and will only be disclosed in the following circumstances:
- in response to a request by a Commonwealth Minister;
- where required by a House or a Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia;
- where necessary in the public interest; or
- where authorised or required by law.
Submissions will only be treated as confidential if they are expressly stated to be confidential. Automatically generated confidentiality statements or disclaimers appended to an email do not suffice for this purpose. If you wish you make a confidential submission, you must indicate this by ensuring your submission is clearly marked confidential. Even if a submission is not marked confidential, the department may choose not to publish it, or any part of it, in the department’s discretion (for example where it includes personal information or opinions about a third party).
Access
the department will securely store your personal information and the department’s privacy policy contains information regarding complaint handling processes and how to access and/or seek correction of personal information held by the department. Further information is available at Privacy or by contacting FirstNationsDigitalInclusion@infrastructure.gov.au