PY Media Broadband Demand Aggregate Consultancy Project

Anangu Use of Technology

Thirty years ago no Anangu person living on the Lands now known as the APY Lands lived in a house, very few had a motor vehicle and no one had an electrical appliance. Now, although house-population density is still too high, all Anangu have access to, and use, western style residential housing and these houses are have many electrical appliances and telecommunications systems. Items that are functional and serve a useful purpose are highly valued and well maintained.

Anangu are quick to adopt and adapt technology if it supports Anangu activities and way of life. Communication and travel are two essential Anangu activities. All developments in communications which are Anangu ‘friendly’ and relatively inexpensive are quickly supported. The rapid and widespread use of the UHF radio network recently established across the Lands by PY Media is evidence of this capacity to incorporate useful technology into Anangu life and activities.

Currently Anangu community members have access to computers only in public offices or as school children. Anangu use community offices to access limited internet services, mainly internet banking. Other internet access is limited to the education facilities and/or availability in the work place for those in employment and able to access the relevant computers.

However, there is great interest among Anangu regarding computers and the possibilities of internet access. When computer and communication technology develops relatively inexpensive voice-over and image-transmission systems accessible via broadband connection, the past patterns would indicate there will be a great increase in the demand by Anangu for these systems and a high demand to access an internet broadband communications networks.

It is important that appropriate infrastructure is developed on the Lands to meet this future demand. PY Media has incorporated this understanding of the situation on the Lands in its CCIF Submission before the Commonwealth Government department of DCITA.