Submission in response to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications Regional Telecommunications Review

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and ALIA Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA) respond to the Regional Telecommunications Review issues paper drafted by the Australian Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
ALIA and APLA support equality of access to the benefits arising from our increasingly digital society and view public libraries as having an important role in bridging the gap for those who don’t have the skills, knowledge, money, devices or high speed connection to be regular and confident users of the internet.
 
ALIA and APLA ask the Regional Telecommunications Review committee to reference the role and value of the public library network in its report and to encourage federal government, telecommunications industry actors and other stakeholders to approach libraries, through councils, as key delivery partners in new initiatives in this space.