Action description:
A competitive grants program targeting place-based telecommunications infrastructure that maximise economic and social opportunities in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Outcome:
Outcome 17
Status:
Existing
Is this Indigenous specific?:
No
Indicators:
Proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households accessing the internet, Proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing the internet
Responsible Ministers:
Minister for Communications
Resourcing:
$117.9 million (inc GST) under Round 1 was provided to support 130 'place-based' telecommunications infrastructure projects across regional, rural and remote Australia. An additional $137 million (inc GST) was provided under Round 2, including dedicated funding to improve telecommunications infrastructure through the Connecting Northern Australia initiative. In the October 2022 budget, the Government committed $200 million for a further two rounds of the RCP. Indicative funding of around $30 million of the Government's $200 million commitment towards further rounds will be set aside to improve telecommunications access in First Nations communities . Consultation on round 3 guidelines is open until February 2023, with applications to be sought later in 2023. . Applications for round 3 guidelines were opened on 20 March 2023 and close on 12 July 2023.This round includes $15m for funding of connectivity solutions for First Nations communities across regional Australia and $10m for First Nations communities in Central Australia.
Delivery timeframe:
Round 1 of RCP has been extended to include 23-24 FY, aligned to the timeframe for delivery of Round 2 and supported by a movement of funds to accommodate delays in project completion. Of a total of 223 funded projects under rounds 1 and 2, 38 projects are in First Nations communities providing $39.1 million (inc GST) of funding to projects in First Nation communities. NIAA should note that this figure is not based on a definition of a First Nation Community or a clearly defined mapping location or region, but the project description provided by the grantee. The RCP program is not a First Nations specific program and other RCP projects may also improve telecommunications outcomes for First Nations communities.
Agency:
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts