Adult Literacy in Australia 2013 OECD: 43.7 % 15-74 years-old (7.3 million) had below proficiency level of literacy in Australia

Breaking down barriers to digital government Jesse Chen Policy Intern, ACCAN

Digital government Digital information: to find information on a government service Digital services: to complete a government service transaction, application or booking

Vulnerable consumer groups CALD communities People with disability Low-income consumers Rural & remote consumers Adults over age 65 Remote Indigenous people Homeless people Small businesses

Barriers across all groups Digital literacy Attitudes towards digital technology Affordability of digital technology Availability of digital technology Complex matters

CALD communities Low English proficiency Illiteracy in native language Limited support network Unaware of digital channels Distrust in digital government

People with disability Inaccessible digital platforms Affordability Excessive graphic information Uncaptioned audiovisual information

Low-income earners Affordability Outdated Centrelink Telephone Allowance Limited scope of Carrier Licence Conditions

Rural & remote consumers Low quality internet connections Poor value for money No alternatives to satellite internet Ineffective handling of mobile coverage complaints

Adults over age 65 Attitudes towards digital technology privacy concerns Low digital literacy Affordability Health conditions

Remote Indigenous communities Lack of internet network congestion Limited literacy skills Rigid registration processes Affordability Peer-influenced digital choice Availability of digital technology

Homeless people Affordability Lack of internet access Rigid registration processes fixed address requirement Theft of digital devices

Small businesses Lack of resources to change business practices Inconvenience of engaging digitally Rigid government platforms Only one mobile phone number can be linked to an account Affordability of digital technology Availability of digital technology

Key recommendations Learning resources Co-design & testing with vulnerable consumers Intuitive design eg breadcrumb trail Retain non-digital channels Use plain English Unmeter digital government platforms

Areas for further exploration Homeless youth Security of information on digital government Biometric data State & local governments

Thank you Telstra NSW Farmers RMIT University Council on the Aging (COTA) Infoxchange Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia

“Breaking Down Barriers to Digital Government” – by Jesse Chen REPORT AVAILABLE HERE FOR DOWNLOAD: http://accan.org.au/our-work/research/1439-breaking-down-barriers-to-digital-government 17