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.

Proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using the internet to access government services for private purposes (e.g. health services, taxation, bill payments, social security payments)

The measure is defined as:

Numerator – number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over who have accessed government services via the internet for private purposes in the last 12 months, by purpose for accessing

Denominator – total number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the population aged 15 years and over

and is presented as a percentage.

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

30 June 2022

Driver

A high or increasing proportion is desirable.

Name: ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS)

Frequency: Periodic

Documentation (links): https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/ by%20Subject/4714.0~2014-15~Main%20Features~Key%20findings~1

Provider name: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Provider area: Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics

2014-15

2014-15

State and territory and Australia.

Numerator divided by Denominator multiplied by 100.

Counting rules

Data are for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were usual residents of private dwellings in Australia.

Geographical variables are based on the location of the household.

People aged 15 years and over who had accessed the internet in the previous 12 months were asked if they had used the internet to access government services for private purposes in the previous 12 months, and which ones.

• ‘Used the internet to make electronic lodgements to government’ comprises the electronic lodgement of the following: tax returns, claims or applications for benefits (for example, Medicare, Centrelink); applications for permits; and bill payments (for example using BPAY to pay rates or car registration).
• ‘Used the internet to get government information or services’ comprises accessing information or services relating to: taxation; pensions or benefits (for example, Medicare, Centrelink); employment/unemployment; community safety education; healthcare; and other government information and services.

The sum of proportions for reasons accessing government information or services may be greater than the total proportion of people accessing government information or services as a person may access information or services for multiple reasons.

ABS TableBuilder has been used to source data for this indicator. Numbers in TableBuilder are rounded to the nearest 100. Proportions are calculated from rounded values.

Includes (numerator):

• people who have accessed government services via the internet for private purposes in the last 12 months, by purpose for accessing (components may not add to total as people may access for more than one purpose).

Excludes (numerator):

• people who did not access government information or services via the internet
• people who did not access / not known if accessed the internet in last 12 months.

Supporting calculations

• Confidence intervals.

See the How to interpret data for further information: https://www.pc.gov.au/closing-the-gap-data/how-to/interpret-data.

Extraction

TableBuilder – Age group – 15 years and over (Person level) X State or Territory (Household level) X Types of government services accessed via the internet for private purposes in last 12 months (Person level).

See NATSISS explanatory notes for further information: https://www.abs.gov.au/ ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4714.0Explanatory%20Notes12014-15?opendocument&tabname=Notes&prodno=4714.0&issue=2014-15

Data values have been randomly adjusted using perturbation to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

Estimates that have a relative standard error between 25% and 50% should be used with caution. Estimates with a relative standard error of 50% or more are considered too unreliable for general use.

Responses for ‘not known’ are combined with ‘did not access’ the internet in the last 12 months. Data for the ‘not known’ category are zero or close to zero (and considered ‘too unreliable for general use’) in every state and territory and nationally.

There are no comparable non‑Indigenous data at present to determine progress to equal levels of digital inclusion.

Future reporting will seek to include the following additional disaggregations:

• remoteness areas and other small geographic areas (where available)
• socio‑economic status of the locality
• disability status
• gender
• age group.