ROSLYN BUTCHER, HOST: The Federal Government has announced a funding package of more than $7 million to roll out Wi-Fi services in several remote WA communities. Eight communities in the Kimberley are recipients of the funding, which is part of the government's broader $20 million First Nations Community Wi-Fi program. These communities are Djugeradi, Wangatjungka, Looma, Pandanus Park, Yakanarra, Yungngora, Beagle Bay and Halls Creek. And in the Midwest, Pia Wadjarri Community plus Warburton in the Northern Goldfields will also benefit from the funding. It's aimed at boosting digital inclusion for First Nations Australians, a key component of the Closing the Gap commitment. Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells told Dunja Karagic more about this latest round of funding.

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MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS ANIKA WELLS: We're building on the success of a program that we started in 2024. And based on positive feedback from that, we're expanding it to communities, like you say. And what it will mean for people is that the provider will set up the infrastructure – for example, a satellite dish or the equivalent – at the community centre, and then community members will access the community Wi-Fi on their devices the same way that you or I might access Wi-Fi in public spaces where it's available. And that technology will look different depending on the location, but applicants were assessed about what would work best for each of these specific communities.

DUNJA KARAGIC, JOURNALIST: Right, so the previous project that was reliant on NBN infrastructure, is this one different to that?

WELLS: This will actually be building on that because we have the newer technology coming through, which is the LEO satellites. And I know we've previously talked about that rolling out across the country and how that will make a big difference to remote communities. I guess this is slightly different in that it is more specifically connecting satellite dishes to infrastructure like community centres. But we're responding to need and to what these local communities have asked for based on what they believe will work best for their people.

KARAGIC: With the community centres and infrastructure, how will this sort of look? Is there a main sort of dongle that will connect people to the Wi-Fi? How does that sort of work?

WELLS: Well, the satellite dish will connect them to, like you say, whatever broader infrastructure it's part of, and then they'll bring their device into, say, the community centre, and then they'll be able to connect to Wi-Fi on their own device.

KARAGIC: As you know, Minister, the Kimberley region is really remote, and repairs here can be quite costly. Will this funding also go towards the ongoing maintenance of this infrastructure in communities?

WELLS: That's right. That's all part of making sure that it's an ongoing improvement for people because whilst we're trying to deliver this later this year, the program runs for five years. And I think what that will mean in places like Pandanus Park or in Beagle Bay or in Halls Creek, it means that people will actually be able to do things like complete online training, or connect with a mentor, or better access essential services, health services, government services. And that is bridging a digital gap that has existed for these people for too long and that we'll continue to work on.

KARAGIC: While over $7 million sounds like a lot of money, given that it's also going to covering the ongoing maintenance of these installations, is that enough money, 7.2 million? And is there more money in plans? Like, do you envisage more money being put towards this program in the future?

WELLS: Well, it's part of $68 million, which is the overall commitment towards improving First Nations digital inclusion. That involves a range of measures that sort of help round out this and to try and bridge that gap. So, we had $4 million to establish the First Nations Digital Support Hub. That's a national service that allows people to access advice online and via telephone. There's $18 million to establish a network of digital mentors to develop digital capability and support the use of safe internet in communities. There's $6 million to expand and improve the national collection of data on First Nations digital inclusion. But like I said, we've expanded this program and it will expand to 53 different communities beyond the existing 23 that received the original round of money because we saw it made a real difference for people. So, the NBN Community Wi-Fi Program delivered free community Wi-Fi to 23 communities, including those around Fitzroy Crossing. And since that began, school attendance increased by 20 per cent, which is just such an important marker for improving young people's lives. So, based on that, we're now going to roll it out to another 53 communities.

KARAGIC: And how have the communities in this round here, the 10 communities in the Kimberley, how have they responded to this announcement?

WELLS: Well, I think they'd be pleased. I hope that they are pleased. But these are people that have put forward solutions for their communities and they have been assessed against a merit criteria, and I hope that they understand we’re very committed to Closing the Gap. This helps us work towards Target 17 of Closing the Gap. That has a deadline of 2026 obviously, so we’re working away on that. But we’re also investing $6 million to improve data collection to make sure that we can track this progress and we can make sure that this works, and that we can take the feedback that people are giving us.

KARAGIC: And how much more work needs to be done until all communities are connected? Sort of, are you hoping to roll out this community Wi-Fi to every single community in the country by that deadline?

WELLS: Well, I guess this dovetails into what we spoke about a little bit earlier, which is UOMO and rolling out the LEO-Sat coverage that will really make a difference. Basically, anywhere you can see the sky, you'll be able to send messages or connect in a way that you haven't previously. So, this is helping people bridge that gap and access services they need to access now, as we, as a government, continue to roll out that broader reform that will truly transform what digital connection looks like in Australia.

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BUTCHER: That was Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells, speaking there about bridging a digital gap with Dunja Karagic.