Digital Inclusion in WA Blueprint - Implementation Program

Improve access to fixed and mobile broadband in regional and remote locations in WA

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

$25.5 million has been committed under State, Commonwealth and industry programs to deliver new and improved connectivity at 55 locations across the Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields, Esperance and Mid West regions. These fixed and mobile broadband connections will be delivered between 2022 and 2024.

Improve connectivity for regional farmers and businesses 

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

$51.6 million has been committed under State, Commonwealth and industry programs to improve connectivity for farm businesses, transport corridors, campgrounds and popular tourist sites.

Support digital access for students through WA schools

Department of Education

This State initiative in partnership with Telstra commenced in January 2021 to further increase bandwidth capacity by an average of 20 times to 97% of public schools. This initiative will deliver improved connectivity for students, enabling digital access to a full range of online learning services and technologies. This includes high definition multimedia content, and full advantage of cloud-based services.

As well as increasing the digital capacity for schools across WA, the bandwidth upgrades benefit many surrounding communities with significant levels of spare capacity. This means telecommunications providers can offer better and more affordable services to the wider community, and creates more opportunities for the WA Government to support low or no cost access for people in need.

Repurpose technology from government agencies for digitally disadvantaged people in WA

Multiple agencies

Expand the number of government agencies repurposing used technology with charitable organisations that target digitally disadvantaged people throughout the community.

Improve digital skills and STEM training in WA schools

Department of Education 

This initiative aims to upskill and support school leaders and teachers to implement sustainable teaching and learning practice in STEM. This initiative is aligned with the WA Government’s State STEM Strategy and the Department’s ICT Vision for Teaching and Learning in Public Schools and ICT Strategy.

Providing access to a digital learning and heritage platform for Aboriginal people to explore their history

State Library of Western Australia

This $196,500 funded initiative delivers a digital platform providing learning and access to heritage collections including photographs, oral histories, video recordings, and genealogical information to Aboriginal people. The platform is currently available online and will have ongoing input from communities to identify, collect and digitally return Aboriginal heritage collections to individuals, families and communities. 

Develop courses to support the development of digital skills through TAFE

Department of Training and Workforce Development

This initiative provides digitally disadvantaged Western Australians access to affordable basic digital literacy skills training throughout the TAFE sector.

Continue existing cyber security and online scams awareness programs

Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety

This initiative will continue to deliver community education and an online resource listing current scams. This will provide limited support for vulnerable members for the community who are victims of scams.

Improve digital skills, knowledge and capability needs for frontline-community service workers and digitally disadvantaged people in WA metropolitan and regional locations

Lotterywest grant to WACOSS

This WACOSS led initiative, funded through a $3.9 million grant from Lotterywest over three years, aims to deliver seven key initiatives including training frontline community service workers to provide programs for digitally disadvantaged people to safely and effectively use online services.

This includes working with 25 partner organisations to establish training programs for 100,000 digitally disadvantaged people.

Enable people to digitally track their WA Health public outpatient appointments and referrals at all Western Australian Health sites

Department of Health

The WA Health Manage My Care (MMC) app and web portal allow patients and carers to track their public outpatient appointments and referrals at all WA health sites delivering outpatient services. The MMC app provides users with real-time visibility of their upcoming outpatient appointments, and digital notifications when appointments are booked or changed.

The MMC app was launched in 2020 and as at July 2022, has over 65,000 patients linked to accounts.

Digitise the design of outpatient referrals management for referrers external to WA Health

Department of Health 

This initiative will deliver an end-to-end solution to digitise and modernise outpatient referrals and support submission of other key information into WA Health. This solution will be available for all referrers external to WA Health, including approved medical specialists, and enable greater tracking and improved communication between referrers and WA Health.

Improve access to public health services through the establishment of partnerships with Aboriginal Medical Services in regional locations in WA

Western Australia Country Health Service

WA Country Health Service ongoing initiative to establish and progress partnerships with Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) in several regions that support regional patient access to public health services via telehealth in community. WACHS Regional Telehealth Program provides telehealth appointment coordination and scheduling support to some AMS’s as well as training and advice on use of WA Health approved videoconferencing solutions.

Improve access to virtual healthcare through engagement with Aboriginal Liaison Officers

Western Australia Country Health Service 

WA Country Health Service initiative in several regions to engage WACHS employed Aboriginal Liaison Officers (ALO) to support patients to access virtual healthcare appointments. ALO’s provide patient coordination and support, inclusive locating and advising patient of telehealth appointments, and transporting patients to and from hospital site if required. 

Improve access to historical information relating to Aboriginal Western Australians 

Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries

This 2021 initiative provides an online database of historical research projects developed by the Aboriginal History WA Unit that is accessible by all West Australians. This online database supports ancestral research, with additional information to be added over time to improve access to further WA Aboriginal historical information. 

Establish a program for agency migration to WA.gov.au

Department of the Premier and Cabinet (Office of Digital Government) 

This initiative improves the design of online government service delivery by providing a single point of access to all WA Government information and services. To date, 81 government websites have been on-boarded to the wa.gov.au website with a target of 5 websites every 6 months to be added. The project commenced in 2019 and is ongoing. 

Review online services for accessibility and inclusivity

Department of the Premier and Cabinet (Office of Digital Government) 

Progressive implementation of accessibility updates to the ServiceWA app in accordance with the 2022 review findings.