Advancing Digital Inclusion in Low Income Australian Families: Interim Findings Report

Families living on low incomes are among the least digitally included Australians and are at greater risk of broader social exclusion than other Australians. Digital ability and digital inclusion have been linked to a range of social and economic benefits. Australians who have adequate, affordable access to digital technologies and the knowledge and skills to use them, have better outcomes across life spheres including education, work, finance, health, and wellbeing. The Australian Research Council Linkage Project, "Advancing digital inclusion in low income Australian families" is running from 2021-2024, and focuses on the digital inclusion implications of children's home and school learning experiences, school leavers' transitions into work, and parenting in digital times. The project is a collaboration with Queensland University of Technology, Western Sydney University, Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT University, Good Things Foundation, The Smith Family, yourtown, Infoxchange and the Digital Literacy Foundation and will develop new practices, policies and sector wide solutions for improving the digital inclusion of low-income families around Australia. Our team of researchers are engaged in six communities around Australia, from North Queensland to Tasmania. We are working with 30 families to understand the ways they currently access and use technology. To date we've conducted interviews with families and the local organisations that support them in each community and have found that the challenges and opportunities for low-income families in each location are as varied as the families themselves and highlight the need for tailored place-based approaches to digital inclusion. The digital experiences of low-income families are as varied and complex as the families themselves, however low-income families with limited access to data, appropriate devices, and the ability and support to use them face additional challenges to full economic, social and cultural participation. While rural families are investing more in technology and connections, urban families often rely on mobile devices and flexible prepaid data and these differences highlight the need for context-specific and place-based approaches to digital inclusion. The next phase of our research will involve co-designing programs, activities and policies with families and local organisations in each community that endeavour to improve the digital inclusion of low-income Australian families.