A group of digital experts and Indigenous people from around the country have met in Sydney to discuss how to help close what they have termed a digital divide.
The group has come up with several ideas to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders connect, engage and preserve their culture.
Ildi Amon reports.
The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence has partnered with the Telstra Foundation to improve the level of access and engagement Indigenous people have in new technology.
Forty people from across Australia attended a recent two-day summit, and the ideas generated at the event will form part of the partnership's national digital strategy.
One of the facilitators, April Long, says greater familiarity with digital technology will improve employment chances and it will also have cultural implications.
"When we talk about the digital divide, it's actually more about, 'How can Aboriginal people and communities use the technology to further advance rights?' A lot of the people at the summit were actually talking about, 'Well, we want to protect our own culture, we want to be the champions of our own stories, we want to have that self-determination through technology.' And as everything is becoming digitised, Indigneous people should have in their hands the ability to tell their own story."
The proposed ideas include a so-called Kinship Indigenous Network, which would help Indigenous people find their relatives.
Overall, Ms Long says, the ideas cover a wide array of areas.
"Another one, which is playfully called Doris, which is an Aboriginal word for someone who's a bit of a busybody,* was all about creating an Indigenous search engine where non-Indigenous people could actually go online and be sure that they are getting an authentic Aboriginal service or product."
Other ideas include selling traditional products online to help Indigenous people gain economic independence.
And an online app that would connect Indigenous people from different countries.
The co-chairman of the Indigenous Youth Engagement Council was one of the young Indigenous participants at the summit.
Peter Dawson says his group's idea is his favourite.
"We tried to focus on addressing the access issue, because, if Indigenous people aren't connected to the Internet and don't have a smart device, a lot of those things they can't even use in the first place. But our idea was really about trying to build a movement to connect Indigenous people and communities to the Internet and to smart devices, and then the world opens and they can use those technologies for whatever they want."
As part of the drive to close the digital divide, the Telstra Foundation and the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence have formed a $5 million, five-year partnership.
The Telstra Foundation says it plans to build an Indigenous Digital Excellence Hub that will have Indigenous developers building apps and digital platforms specifically for Indigenous people.
Telstra Foundation national manager Jackie Coates says the Hub will be responsible for making some of the ideas from the summit a reality.
"And some also might have a life of their own as well, and just happen, because this is a real movement. We've now got 30 Indigenous next-gen (generation) leaders really excited about this opportunity, and they, too, will create energy around these ideas."
Ms Coates says including the ideas in a strategy will help Indigenous people seize the opportunities the digital age has brought.
But April Long says it is important to tackle the problem now.
"You know, we can see the impact right now. If we continue to do nothing, digitisation is growing at a massive rate, but so are the population rates for Aboriginal young people. I mean, the Indigenous growth rate is set to double the national growth rate in the coming years. So the risk is, if we do nothing, the challenges in our communities will remain."
Mr Dawson says one of the challenges facing Indigenous young people is cyber bullying.
He says cyber safety must be a top priority.
"You know, I've experienced and witnessed racism online, and it's probably more common online than it is in person now. And if we're so connected to the world all the time -- you know, we have a smart device in our pockets that we can just pick up and connect with each other -- and, if that facilitates racism and discrimination, then that's a pretty scary thing, because, just as technology can scale up great things, it can also amplify negative things like that."
Mr Dawson says, while many Indigenous people are already using technology effectively, others are getting left behind.
He says the summit shows there are exciting ways technology can be used to preserve Indigenous traditions.
"Our elders are dying at a shocking rate, and we have a very low life expectancy. And so it is actually an urgent issue to ensure that culture and stories, language and dance and all that, is passed on. And technology just makes that process easier and more engaging, I think."
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