Digital technologies are transforming how we interact as a community and how businesses and governments operate. Communications services are essential for everyday living and a primary means of accessing information, employment, markets and key services. Affordable communications services are critical for digital inclusion but assessing what is 'affordable' is complex due to diversity of Australian experiences and wants.

This is the fourth report in a series of papers creating measure that monitor and report on the affordability of communications services. This report is an extension of the third working paper and analyses trends in telecommunications affordability and access for First Nations households. 

Looking to the future, strong consumer demand for telecommunications services is anticipated to continue. The outlook for affordability will depend on a number of factors including regulatory settings, technology developments, competitive pressures and broader income growth.

Digital technologies are transforming how we interact as a community and how businesses and governments operate. Communications services are essential for everyday living and a primary means of accessing information, employment, markets and key services. Affordable communications services are critical for digital inclusion but assessing what is 'affordable' is complex due to diversity of Australian experiences and wants.

This is the third of four reports in a series of papers creating measure that monitor and report on the affordability of communications services. This report uses econometric modelling to identify the demographic and socioeconomic factors impacting household spending on telecommunications services and their risk of potential digital exclusion.

Looking to the future, strong consumer demand for telecommunications services is anticipated to continue. The outlook for affordability will depend on a number of factors including regulatory settings, technology developments, competitive pressures and broader income growth.

Digital technologies are transforming how we interact as a community and how businesses and governments operate. Communications services are essential for everyday living and a primary means of accessing information, employment, markets and key services. Affordable communications services are critical for digital inclusion but assessing what is 'affordable' is complex due to diversity of Australian experiences and wants.

This is the second of four reports in a series of papers creating measure that monitor and report on the affordability of communications services. This report uses updated market trends from the initial paper and data use case studies to estimate basic data needs.

Looking to the future, strong consumer demand for telecommunications services is anticipated to continue. The outlook for affordability will depend on a number of factors including regulatory settings, technology developments, competitive pressures and broader income growth.

Access to quality and reliable telecommunications services has become a central part of modern life. Digital technologies are essential for everyday living and a primary means of accessing information, employment, markets and key services. For children, it is particularly important as these technologies can support their education, social connectedness and their ability to participate in an increasingly digital economy.

For some Australians, however, their lower level of digital inclusion means that they are less able to enjoy the benefits of being online. This includes First Nations people and communities, older Australians, and low-income households.

The report below is the third in the series on access to telecommunication services and uses HILDA data to gain insights into the socioeconomic characteristics of Australians without access to the internet. 

With the continued transition of services and opportunities online, supporting digital inclusion will continue to be a critical part of ensuring all Australians can access those benefits, particularly people living in regional and remote areas.

Revision note (June 2026)

This report has been revised following publication to improve the specification of the econometric models and the clarity of interpretation.

The key changes are:

• Household income is now expressed in logarithmic form in both models to improve consistency and interpretability.
• Interaction terms have been removed from the logistic regression model to simplify the specification. 
• The interpretation of marginal effects has been clarified to more accurately reflect model outputs.
• Explanations of hazard rates, odds ratios and Kaplan-Meier survival curves have been revised for greater precision.

These revisions improve the robustness and interpretability of the analysis. The overall findings and policy insights remain materially unchanged.

Access to quality and reliable telecommunications services has become a central part of modern life. Digital technologies are essential for everyday living and a primary means of accessing information, employment, markets and key services. For children, it is particularly important as these technologies can support their education, social connectedness and their ability to participate in an increasingly digital economy.

For some Australians, however, their lower level of digital inclusion means that they are less able to enjoy the benefits of being online. This includes First Nations people and communities, older Australians, and low-income households.

The second report of the series on access to telecommunication services uses survey data of Australian youth to understand how young peoples’ socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds impact their access to digital technology. It also explores young people’s experiences online.

This research explores the link between broadband and productivity growth at the individual business (or firm) level. It shows that there is generally a positive relationship between businesses switching from DSL to fibre/cable-based broadband and improvements to their productivity. This relationship is strongest in the year immediately after switching to high-speed broadband. More generally, the study finds that high speed broadband tends to have a positive relationship with productivity growth.

Recent analysis has explored the potential economic impacts of increased connectivity from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites for the agriculture and mining sectors.

LEO satellites are an emerging technology that will provide faster and more reliable communications for users outside of fixed and mobile broadband coverage, particularly those in remote and rural areas, promoting a range of economic and social benefits.

The report shows that Australia is an attractive market for LEO satellites.

Australia’s agriculture and mining sectors have significant presence in regional areas and could leverage increased connectivity from LEO satellites for the increased adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and other digital technologies. The increased use of these technologies could provide these sectors with improved productivity in their operations as well as health and environmental benefits.

Australia's cultural and creative workforce refers to those employed in a cultural and creative industry or occupation. The Bureau of Communications, Arts and Regional Research (BCARR) has undertaken a detailed analysis of cultural and creative employment in Australia.

This is an interim report which provides preliminary workforce estimates while Australia moves to a new occupational classification framework. A final report is expected to be released in 2027–28, following the publication of 2026 Census data and labour market statistics which incorporate updated occupational classifications.

Key interim findings

Interim findings show that the cultural and creative sector is a significant and resilient part of Australia's economy.

• In 2023–24, over 591,000 people were employed in this sector as their main job—comparable to major industries like transport, postal and warehousing and wholesale trade—with nearly 50,000 secondary jobs highlighting the flexible, multi-job nature of the workforce.
• Employment has grown by 33% since 2008–09, driven by architecture services, events (arts), and advertising and promotion, with most domains rebounding strongly post-COVID.

While concentrated in New South Wales and Victoria, cultural and creative employment contributes across all states and territories, and draws from a diversity of cohorts, with women making up 56% of the workforce and First Nations employment increasing by more than 80% since 2008–09.

BCARR has undertaken a South East Queensland (SEQ) research project to provide an evidence base on the spatial distribution of population growth, jobs, connectivity and liveability of SEQ. This evidence can be used to monitor how population, jobs, connectivity and liveability change over time and respond to investment. The report aims to support the department's policy and project delivery. The final report is available below.

BCARR conducted a Work from Home (WfH) research project to provide evidence of how social, demographic and spatial characteristics influence WfH capability and uptake in Australian cities. The study also explores the link between WfH and relocation and investigates post-pandemic prospects for WfH in Australia. This new evidence can help improve understanding of the key drivers of WfH and the ongoing role that WfH will likely play in influencing urban and regional development outcomes in Australia.