Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have access to information and services enabling participation in informed decision‑making regarding their own lives.

By 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal levels of digital inclusion.

Levels of digital inclusion among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as compared with other Australians (disaggregated by access, affordability and digital ability)

The measure is defined as:

Numerator – the Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) score for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

and is presented as a number.

National Agreement on Closing the Gap 2020; indicator included April 2021

31 July 2024

Driver

A high or increasing index score is desirable.

Name: Australian Digital Inclusion Index

Frequency: Biennially

Documentation (links): Case study: Mapping the Digital Gap - digital inclusion in remote First Nations communities - Australian Digital Inclusion Index

Provider name: The ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S)

Provider area: ADII

2023

2023

Australia, by Indigenous status, by remoteness area.

The ADII is based on data collected from the Australian Internet Usage Survey, delivered by the Social Research Centre at Australian National University.

The ADII is a relative measure of inclusion. Using a score of zero to 100, it compares the degree to which individuals can be considered more or less digitally included than others based on three dimensions:

• access
• affordability
• digital ability.

A score closer to 100 indicates higher inclusion while scores closer to zero indicate greater exclusion.

All ADII scores are weighted to the Australian population.

Counting rules

Each of the index dimensions – access, affordability and digital ability – are equally weighted to derive the total digital inclusion index score. Data for each index dimension is reported for context.

Access measures opportunities to gain a reliable internet connection and use various digital devices, alongside frequency of online access. The access index includes the following components:

• Frequency and intensity of use, ranging from no use at all to daily use.
• Connection type, such as fixed broadband or mobile-only.
• Data allowance and speed.
• Types of devices, including desktops, laptops, smart phones, tablets, and an array of smart home devices.

Affordability is measured as a ratio of the potential cost for a quality internet bundle to the distribution of household income. This ideal bundle enables both quality and uninterrupted connectivity through the following three components:

• A fast internet connection (such as that provided through a cable (HFC) service, NBN 50 or above, or 5G wireless service).
• An unlimited monthly data allowance through a fixed broadband service.
• Mobile broadband or mobile phone data allowance above 61 GB per month.

The affordability ratio is converted to a score between 0 and 1 and multiplied by 100 to present a metric consistent with all dimensions.

Digital ability measures skill levels: what people are able to do online, and their confidence in doing it. The access index includes the following components:

• Basic operational: Including downloading and opening files, connecting to the internet, and setting passwords.
• Advanced operational: Including saving to the cloud, determining what is safe to download, customising devices and connections, and adjusting privacy settings.
• Information navigation: Including searching and navigating, verifying trustworthy information, and managing third party data collection.
• Social: Including deciding what to share, how, and who with; managing and monitoring contacts; and communicating with others.
• Creative: Including editing, producing, and posting content, and having a broad understanding of the rules that may apply to these activities.
• Automation: Including connecting, operating, and managing smart devices and Internet of Things technologies.

For further information about the Australian Digital Inclusion Index and how it is constructed see https://www.digitalinclusionindex.org.au/the-adii.

Inner Regional results have been excluded due to low samples.

Prior to 2023, samples did not include sufficient Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander respondents to generate reliable data.

The data for 2023 was supplemented with a sample of 495 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from 10 remote and very remote communities of New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory through the Mapping the Digital Gap project. This project is being conducted from 2022 to 2024. While efforts have been made to make the findings representative through the use of various statistical techniques, because of the sampling technique used, estimates made for this group should be treated as indicative and not reflecting the broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. No special Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection was undertaken for urban and regional areas and results obtained based on national sampling methods of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be treated with caution due to very small sample sizes.

Data collection for the Australian Internet Usage Survey was undertaken during the following periods: 2023 (April to June).

Future reporting will seek to include the following additional disaggregations:

• other geographic locations available
• socio‑economic status of the locality
• disability status
• gender
• age group.