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1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2009–10  
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Contents >> Information and communication technology >> Use of information technology (IT)

USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)

This section focuses on the key indicators of the use of Information Technology (IT) made by Australian businesses, households and farms in Australia.


Businesses

In the five year period from 2002-2003 to 2007-08, the proportion of Australian businesses with access to the Internet increased from 71% to 87% and those with a web presence from 23% to 36% (table 25.3).

In 2007-08, nearly all (99%) businesses with 200 or more employees accessed the Internet, while the proportion dropped from 94% to 83% for businesses with 0-4 employees. Most businesses with 200 or more employees had a web presence (96%), while only a quarter (27%) of businesses with 0-4 employees had a web presence.

In 2007-08 the proportion of businesses using IT varied considerably across industries. The industries with the highest proportion of businesses which used the Internet were Financial and insurance services, Information media and telecommunications, and Professional, scientific and technical services (all 98%). Accommodation and food services had the lowest proportion of businesses which used the Internet (71%), followed by Transport, postal and warehousing (76%). Web presence was highest in Information media and telecommunications (62%) and Wholesale trade (53%), while Construction and Transport, postal and warehousing had the lowest proportions of businesses with a web presence (15% and 18% respectively).

25.3 Business Use of Information Technology, Australia - Business use of selected technologies(a), By employment size and industry - 2007-08
Businesses with internet use
Businesses with web presence
%
%
Employment size
0-4 persons
83
27
5-19 persons
92
48
20-199 persons
98
65
200 or more persons
99
96
Industry
Mining
93
48
Manufacturing
89
46
Electricity, gas, water and waste services
87
33
Construction
84
15
Wholesale trade
94
53
Retail trade
82
40
Accommodation and food services
71
37
Transport, postal and warehousing
76
18
Information media and telecommunications
98
62
Financial and insurance services
98
48
Rental, hiring and real estate services
85
52
Professional, scientific and technical services
98
51
Administrative and support services
92
38
Health care and social assistance
89
26
Arts and recreation services
92
52
Other services
81
29
Total
87
36
(a) Proportions are of all businesses in each category.
Source: Business use of Information Technology (8129.0).



Households

In 2008-09, 78% of all Australian households had access to a computer and 72% had home internet access (graph 25.4). More than five times as many households had home access to the internet in the 2008-09 financial year, compared with the 1998 calendar year.

25.4 Household Computer, Internet and broadband access(a)
Graph: 25.4 Household Computer, Internet and broadband access(a)


In 2008-09, the proportion of households with home computer access was higher for households with children under 15 years of age (91%) compared with those without children under 15 years (73%). Home computer access was lowest for all households in Tasmania (71%) and highest in the Australian Capital Territory (88%). In 1998, only a third of all households (36%) with a computer had home access to the internet; by 2008-09 this had increased to 92%.

In 2008-09, the number of households with a broadband internet connection had almost quadrupled from 2004-05 to an estimated 5.0 million households. This represented three out of five (62%) households in Australia and 86% of households with internet access.

The Australian Capital Territory continued to register the highest proportion of households with a broadband internet connection (74% of all households), while Tasmania and South Australia still had the lowest proportion of households with a Broadband internet connection (49% and 54% respectively).

The dominant type of technology used by households for broadband connection to the internet continued to be Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), although the percentage of households using this type of technology decreased from 69% of all broadband connections in 2007-08 to 64%. There was a corresponding increase over this period in the take-up of wireless technologies from 1% to 7%.

Certain socioeconomic characteristics of households continued to be associated with low rates of computer, internet and broadband connectivity across Australia, such as households which do not have children under 15 years; are located in ex-metropolitan Australia; and/or had low household incomes.


Farms

In 2007-08 in Australia, there were 141,026 farms with an estimated value of agricultural operations of $5,000 or more. Of these farms, nearly half (48%) accessed a broadband internet connection, while 17% accessed the Internet via a dial-up connection (table 25.5).

Western Australia continued to record the highest proportion of farms using the Internet for business operations (73%) in 2007-08, while Tasmania recorded the lowest proportion of farms using the Internet (59%).

25.5 Use of the Internet on farms for business operations, by States and Territories and type of connection, 2007-08
All farms
Farms using the Internet(a)
Dial-up connection
Broadband connection
no.
no.
%
no.
%
no.
%
New South Wales
44 500
28 417
64
6 502
15
21 477
48
Victoria
34 257
21 258
62
5 625
16
15 394
45
Queensland
29 192
19 637
67
5 390
18
14 024
48
Adelaide
15 044
10 567
70
3 087
21
7 349
49
Western Australia
13 135
9 524
73
2 481
19
6 956
53
Tasmania
4 211
2 483
59
^684
16
1 764
42
Northern Territory
605
435
72
*100
^17
332
55
Australian Capital Territory
82
61
74
^11
^13
50
62
Australia
141 026
92 383
66
23 881
17
67 347
48
^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
(a) Percentages are of all farms.
Source: Use of the Internet on Farms (8150.0).


Map 25.6 below depicts the proportion of farms that are not using the Internet for business operations, by statistical division. Smaller farms located around urban areas are less likely to use the Internet for business operations, whilst a higher proportion of farms in remote areas use the Internet for business operations.

25.6 Proportion of farms not using the internet for business operations, By Statistical Division - 2007-08






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