Thousands of New South Wales families with school-aged kids are set to benefit from access to free broadband to the end of 2025, as a result of the Albanese Government's School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) supported by the Minns Government.
The Commonwealth is investing $8.8 million to connect up to 30,000 families nationwide without internet at home to free broadband in a bid to narrow the digital divide and ease cost-of-living pressures.
The NSW Department of Education is playing an active role in boosting visibility of the SSBI across NSW public and secondary schools by encouraging more families to take advantage of the program.
Once assessed as eligible, families are issued with a unique voucher they can redeem with a participating internet provider. The free service begins from the day the service is activated, and is available across all NBN technologies.
More than 1,000 families in NSW - almost 8,000 across the country - have already been connected to free internet as a result of the initiative.
To be eligible, a family must:
- Have a child living at home enrolled in an Australian school;
- Have no active broadband service over the NBN network;
- Live in a premises where they can access a standard NBN service.
To apply, families are encouraged to contact the National Referral Centre - run by Anglicare Victoria - on 1800 954 610 (Monday - Friday, 10am - 6pm AEDT), or visit: www.anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet
The Commonwealth is considering options to support participating families at the end of 2025, including asking the NBN Low-Income and Digital Inclusion Forum to examine discounted products.
