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Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities (TAPRIC)
Download page to Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities (TAPRIC). Following widespread consultation with community, government and industry groups, and a call for submissions to an initial Issues Paper, a Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities has been developed. The Report & Action Plan presents the findings of the Study and sets out a guiding policy framework and action agenda to deliver sustainable telecommunications service improvements to remote Indigenous communities. The package of programs in the Action Plan will address the main areas of telecommunications need which have emerged from the Study, and includes: a Community Phone Program, an Online Access Centre Business Study, an Internet Access Program, a Content Development Program, an Information and Awareness Raising Program, and, additional strategies which focus on improving information flow and coordination of services. It complements the TSI initiative to improve the availability of payphones under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) in discrete indigenous communities.
The Commonwealth Government is providing funding of $8.3 million over the 3 years 2002-05 to implement a Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities.
The Besley Telecommunications Service Inquiry (TSI) found telecommunications service levels in Indigenous communities are poor, and 'warrant particular attention'. As part of its response to the report of the TSI, the Commonwealth Government undertook a Strategic Study to investigate telecommunications service levels in Indigenous communities and develop an Action Plan for improving service levels over the longer term. The Study was undertaken by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
Following widespread consultation with community, government and industry groups, and a call for submissions to an initial Issues Paper, a Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities has been developed. The Report & Action Plan presents the findings of the Study and sets out a guiding policy framework and action agenda to deliver sustainable telecommunications service improvements to remote Indigenous communities.
Action Agenda
The package of programs in the Action Plan will address the main areas of telecommunications need which have emerged from the Study, and includes:
- a Community Phone Program
- an Online Access Centre Business Study
- an Internet Access Program
- a Content Development Program
- an Information and Awareness Raising Program, and
- additional strategies which focus on improving information flow and coordination of services.
It complements the TSI initiative to improve the availability of payphones under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) in discrete Indigenous communities.
Next Steps
The detailed development of programs and administration procedures will take place over the next 6 months, with programs due to commence operation in January 2003. How each program will operate will be determined in close consultation with Indigenous organisations, government agencies (Commonwealth, State & Territory governments) and industry providers.
Individuals or organisations wishing to be involved in the consultation process to discuss how best to implement the range of programs under TAPRIC are encouraged to contact the Taskforce as soon as possible, before mid June.
The Report of the Study and the Action Plan are available to download as the following Rich Text Format, PDF and Microsoft Word documents:
Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities(File size 1.4Mb)
Attachments:
Consultative groups (File size: 501Kb) (Member organisations of the Advisory Group and the Reference Group for the Study) (Attachments A-G)
- Submissions received in relation to the Issues Paper
- References and further reading
- Consultations held by the Taskforce in preparation of the Action Plan
- Universal Service Obligation (USO) and Customer Service Guarantee (CSG)
- Networking the Nation projects benefiting Indigenous communities
- Government activities
- Stocktake of infrastructure services in remote Indigenous communities
Diagram outlining Telstra arrangements for new telephone connections(file size 18Kb)