Tasmanians and our economy continue to miss out on the social and economic benefits of using digital technologies effectively, because they can’t access, can’t afford or don’t have the necessary skills to navigate the online world.
TasCOSS CEO, Ms Adrienne Picone, said Tasmania once again ranks last for digital inclusion in the 2025 Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) Report launched in Hobart today, and is the worst performing state or territory across digital Affordability and digital Ability, with only the Northern Territory faring worse for digital Access.
“Tasmania has enjoyed some incremental improvements in digital inclusion which are welcome, but so too has the rest of Australia, meaning Tasmania has failed to close the digital inclusion gap,” Ms Picone said.
“This is despite the economic and social benefits of tackling the digital divide being worth tens of millions of dollars to the Tasmanian economy.
“We hear far too frequently stories of Tasmanians missing out or falling behind because they don’t have the tools, means or know-how to access the benefits of the online world.
“The ability to get online — to bank, access government and emergency services or engage in schooling, employment and training, to name a few uses — is essential in modern society and should be prioritised.
“The Government’s hand-picked Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council (PESRAC) recommended closing the digital divide by 2026, but instead we’ve seen the rest of the country outpace Tasmania’s improvements in digital inclusion. This has typically been due to our poor digital skills and literacy, with affordability emerging as a key issue in this report.
“While there are positive programs and initiatives succeeding in improving digital inclusion for excluded cohorts, such as Libraries Tasmania Digital Mentors, Digital Ready for Daily Life and COTA Tasmania’s Generations Connect, the Government’s current approach to this issue is piecemeal. Bridging the gap with the rest of the country will require sustained policy ambition and significant investment in both new and existing programs that continue to reduce barriers to inclusion.
“It is time we create a real impetus for change, by setting measurable goals for digital inclusion, and supporting evidence-based programs, policies and investments across the community.
“We urge the Tasmanian Government to set a target to improve Tasmania’s ADII scores across all indices to the national average by 2030.
“The ADII Report findings support TasCOSS’s calls to prioritise digital skills and literacy, and address affordability by reducing the cost of telecommunications through a concession and low-cost broadband products for low income households.”
Measuring Australia’s Digital Divide: 2025 Australian Digital Inclusion Index is published by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology and Telstra. (DOI: 10.60836/mtsq-at22)
In a Snapshot:
- Tasmania is the most digitally disadvantaged state or territory in the country and has consistently lagged behind the other states. (Australian Digital Inclusion Index)
- Tasmania is the worst-ranked for Affordability and Digital Ability of all jurisdictions in the country. (Australian Digital Inclusion Index)
- One-in-five Australians (approximately 119,000 Tasmanians) experience at least one barrier to digital inclusion — access, affordability or digital skills/ability. (Australian Digital Inclusion Index)
- Around 53,000 Tasmanians are highly digitally excluded, meaning they are either unable to get online, or if they can, lack the skills to navigate the online world. (Australian Digital Inclusion Index)
- Tasmania has the fastest growing ageing demographic in Australia and older Tasmanians are one of the most digitally disadvantaged cohorts.