New pathways to crisis resilience: solutions for improved digital connectivity and capability in rural Australia

Despite recent investments in telecommunications infrastructure in regional Australia, a digital divide remains between rural and urban communities. The impacts of comparatively limited digital connectivity in rural Australia include fewer opportunities for economic participation, difficulty accessing health and educational services, and challenges responding to crisis events such as natual disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an acute need for improved access to robust mobile and broadband services before, during and after crises in rural Australia. This article presents solutions for improved digital connectivity and digital capability in Far North Queensland, founded in a project that brought together researchers, business owners, councils, development organisations, technical experts and service providers to collaboratively identify and define telecommunications challenges related to a catastrophic flood in 2019. The research supports telecommunications providers, state and local governments, and community development organisations working together to collaboratively invest in technical and social solutions that enable rural communities to achieve greater crisis resilience.