YOUNG students battling to do their schoolwork because their families cannot afford to connect to the internet and have a new friend to call to help them out.
Local Federal Member, Shayne Neumann, is now able to access grants through the School Student Broadband Initiative to switch them on to the net for a year.
The Albanese Labor Government is committed to providing 30,000 Australian families with no internet at home free broadband for 12 months, as part of its plan for a better National Broadband Network (NBN).
The School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) provides the opportunity for eligible school students to benefit from fast internet at home to support their education.
More than 1,000 Australian families have already benefited from home broadband connections set up under the initiative and Mr Neumann is trying to find needy candidates in Ipswich.
He said the Albanese Labor Government was committed to narrowing the digital divide, including in our classrooms.
“The SSBI is providing children with free home broadband connection so they can reach their full potential,” he said.
“While many students can access the internet through school Wi-Fi, connecting to the internet at home to support remote learning and homework can be expensive for some families.
This initiative will relieve some of the barriers to students fully participating in online education.
“I’m confident it will deliver real outcomes for so many families, like it has recently for Ipswich’s Schroeder family, and give them the tools they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
“The pandemic showed how important it is for students to be connected at home, so they don’t fall behind.
“I’m proud to belong to a government that takes digital inclusion so seriously.”
So far just three families in the Ipswich region having been granted free internet for a year thanks to the program and Mr Neumann wants to quickly expand that number.
“Any families in Ipswich, the Somerset Region and Karana Downs area interested in the SSBI should contact my office on (07) 3201 5300 so we can connect them to the program,” he said.
