RDA committees to help regions get NBN-ready

Published: 24th October 2012

Twenty RDA committees will rollout 14 new initiatives that will help their regions to capitalise on the advantages of the National Broadband Network (NBN) as a result of funding announced today.  

Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon Simon Crean MP, announced Australian Government funding of about $500,000 for 14 projects to be delivered by RDA committees. Four of the projects will be collaboratively delivered by RDA committees across their regional boundaries.

“These projects will encourage regional communities to engage with the possibilities of the NBN through local expos, road shows and other activities,” Mr Crean said.

"It is important to remember that the NBN is only the highway. The challenge for the RDA committees is to build the applications that will be the vehicles on the highway," Mr Crean said.

"These projects are great examples of RDA committees meeting this challenge and developing creative proposals that stack up."

The RDA committees to be awarded funding are:

• RDA Sunshine Coast, RDA Gold Coast, RDA Logan & Redlands and RDA Moreton Bay (Queensland) will receive $100,000 for the Digital Futures Program – Telework Readiness
• RDA Far North Queensland and Torres Strait (Queensland) will receive $24,950 for the Implementation of the Cairns Digital Economy and Community Engagement Strategy
• RDA Peel (Western Australia) will receive $24,600 for the Catch the Broadband Wave project
• RDA Wheatbelt (Western Australia) will receive $24,776, for the Pathway to Digital Region project
• RDA Far North and RDA Yorke & Mid North (South Australia) will receive $50,000 for the NBN Localised Website and Supporting Roadshow project
• RDA Hume (Victoria) will receive $25,000 for the Digital Economy and NBN Readiness Planning for the Hume Region
• RDA Mid North Coast (New South Wales) will receive $24,966 for the NBN Satellite Champions Awareness project
• RDA Central Coast (New South Wales) will receive $25,000 for the Teleworking on the NSW Central Coast project
• RDA Northern Rivers (New South Wales) will receive $25,000 for the Digital Business Development project
• RDA Orana (New South Wales) will receive $25,000 for the Orana to the Digital Economy Expo project
• RDA Riverina and RDA Murray (New South Wales) will receive $50,000 to present 42 information sessions across the region’s business sectors
• RDA Central West (New South Wales) will receive $25,000 for the Connecting Communities in the Central West project
• RDA Southern Inland (New South Wales) and RDA ACT will receive $25,000 to carry out a readiness assessment and workshops across the region, and
• RDA Illawarra (New South Wales) will receive $25,000 for the Illawarra NBN Expo project.

“This funding builds on $200,000 the Federal Government has already provided for strategic planning and development work by RDA committees in places covered by the 12 month rollout,” Mr Crean said.

Find out more about how RDA committees are already assisting their communities to be NBN-ready by visiting our news section.

For more information on the announcement read Minister Crean's media release.