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Poor become well-connected
James Madden
JUNE 24, 2002

HUNDREDS of housing estate residents in Melbourne will be given a free computer and cheap internet access as part of an initiative to help low-income families into the IT age.

Nearly 800 recycled computers will be given to tenants of the high-rise Atherton Gardens public housing estate in inner-city Fitzroy over the next 12 months.
Victorian Community Services and Housing Minister Bronwyn Pike said the project - a joint initiative between the state Government, community organisations and the private sector - was the first step in a push towards providing everyone in the state with access to services such as the internet.

"It is essentially a community-building project," Ms Pike said.

"All members of the community - regardless of their wealth, regardless of where they live, where they come from or where they're going - should have access to the tools of the information age, as they are key contributors to the health, wealth and wellbeing of people."

Residents will have free access to email and to a community intranet, which will include links to international newspapers for the benefit of the estate's many non-English-speaking residents.

Several community groups and private companies are collaborating with the state Government on the project.

Andrew Mahar, executive director of Infoxchange Australia, one of the participating companies, said direct IT assistance for poorer households was crucial.

Since last September, more than 350 Atherton Gardens residents have received computer training. Among the 200 residents who have already had a computer installed in their unit is Vietnamese-born My Dung, the mother of six-year-old Phu Thanh.

"I am very excited about having a computer because I think it will help my son learn," Ms Dung said.

"We could not otherwise afford to have a computer."