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Wally Douglass is being forced to ditch his home internet connection to cut costs. (Supplied)
The internet at Wally Douglass's house is slow.
Key points
- There are 28 suburbs and towns in Tasmania where more than 20 per cent of homes do not have internet access
- Welfare groups say the internet is an now essential service, because an increasing number of government services are going online
- The State Government promised a digital inclusion strategy last year, but it is yet to be released
He uses communal computers at places such as the Bridgewater Community Centre to report his income to Centrelink and apply for jobs — things he used to be able to do using pen and paper.
Mr Douglass said he considered himself lucky because he had a car to drive to places like the neighbourhood house from his Pontville home 12 kilometres away, instead of having to use public transport.
But he will soon disconnect his home internet and sell his vehicle because a $20-a-week rent increase has stretched his tight budget even further.
Travelling to access the internet — and waiting in line to do so — could add hours to Mr Douglass's daily schedule.
"A $40-a-fortnight rent increase is very damaging for a low-income person, because we have power bills, we have food to put on the table, lots of people have lots of medication," Mr Douglass said.
Community groups are growing increasingly concerned about the impact of the digital age on Tasmania's most disadvantaged.
A recent report from the Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCoSS) revealed there were 28 suburbs and towns where more than 20 per cent of homes were without the internet.
All but three of those were considered among the most disadvantaged.
"In Tasmania, as nationally, there's an index that measures capability, accessibility and affordability, and unfortunately for Tasmania all three of those areas are still really challenging," TasCoSS chief executive Kym Goodes said.
"There are a number of barriers that you're trying to overcome to find work, to engage with your community, to engage with your local school even, that are greatly increased when you don't have access to the internet."
Lack of internet access affecting lives
According to the TasCoSS report, Bridgewater, north of Hobart, has the worst internet access rates in Tasmania. About one-third of homes are not online.The unemployment rate in Bridgewater is 15.2 per cent — more than double the Tasmanian average.
According to the 2016 census, the median weekly household income there was $760, well below the Tasmanian median of $1,100 and lower again than the Australian average of $1,438.
Bridgewater Community Centre coordinator Chelsea Barnes said costly internet plans and connection fees prevented a lot of residents from signing up to the web.
"[But] the thing is that everybody's sort of been forced into using the internet one way or another," Ms Barnes said.
"If you want to get your payments from Centrelink, you have to use the internet. If you want to lodge a resume to get a job, nine times out of 10 you have to use the internet.
"It's encroaching on people's lives to the point where if they don't know how to use technology, it can stop pretty abruptly."
And stopping abruptly could mean losing welfare payments all together if strict federal government reporting requirements were not met, she said.
"Your rent doesn't get paid, your bills don't get paid. If it happens often, if you can't work out the process to get your payments reinstated, you could become homeless."
Digital as important as general literacy
The Tasmanian Liberals went to the 2018 state election pledging to release a digital inclusion strategy but it is yet to be finalised.
Science and Technology Minister Michael Ferguson said a Digital Ready for Daily Life program would be launched in October.
"The Digital Ready for Daily Life program will be supported by a new $400,000 investment, which was funded in the 2018-19 State Budget," Mr Ferguson said.
The Government also funds Libraries Tasmania to deliver online access and digital training courses.
About 10,000 people accessed these courses statewide last financial year.
Libraries Tasmania executive director Elizabeth Jack said the service considered digital literacy as important as general literacy and numeracy.
"We know that Tasmanians have relatively low levels of literacy and numeracy. When you factor in digital literacy on top of that, I think it makes it very challenging for some people," Ms Jack said.
Ms Barnes said it was not as simple as signing people up to the internet — people had to know how to use it. She called for better understanding from schools, government services and the community about what a lack of internet access meant for many Tasmanians.
"It's stopped people from moving forward, I think, if they haven't got internet," Ms Barnes said.
The Department of Human Services said people could register to report their income via the phone, and said its service centres offered computers and free Wi-Fi.
"We offer a range of ways people can report their income, and for most people reporting online or via our app is the most convenient way to do so," a spokeswoman said.
"In rural, remote and regional areas, people can visit one of our agents or access points to report their earnings."
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