The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2012) indicates that Australia measures exceptionally well when compared to other OECD countries in regards to employment, education and access to the Internet. OECD figures indicate that;
- Australian students have a score of 519/600 in the OECD’s Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA), which is greater than the OECD
average of 497 (OECD 2010)
- Australian students have a score of 519/600 in the OECD’s Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA), which is greater than the OECD
average of 497 (OECD 2010)
- 72% of Australians aged between 15-64 have a job, which is above the
OECD employment average of 66% (OECD 2012)
- In 2009 Australia had 23.69 broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants,
which is above to the OECD average of 23.10 broadband subscriptions per
100 inhabitants (OECD 2011)
Although these figures indicate that Australia is ranked as one of the top countries in the world in regards to levels of educational attainments, employment and access to the Internet, it must be noted that inequalities still exists with the country among its 21 million inhabitants.
Therefore within Australia the inequalities of the digital divide exist in regards to physical availability of technological infrastructure (Internet broadband) and the pricing that permits individual access to the infrastructure (Arnold 2010).
The following video highlights some of the factors that have lead to the digital divide within Australia. While watching the video consider the following question;
1) What factors influence the digital divide within Australia?
2) Whom does the Australian digital divide affect?
3) Does the Australian digital divide affect you and/or your community?
4) How does the Australian digital divide affect you and/or your community?
For further information on the Australian digital divide, follow the links below.