8146.0 - Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2006-07  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/12/2007   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All
MEDIA RELEASE
December 20, 2007
Embargoed 11.30 am (AEDT)
138/2007
A million more Australians on Broadband since last year: ABS

A million more Australian households have signed up for Broadband Internet since 2005-06, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

This brings total Broadband connections up to 3.5 million, or 43% of all households.

The Australian Capital Territory has the highest proportion of Broadband connections, at 58% of households. Lowest connections were in Tasmania, 32% and South Australia, 33%. Other states ranged from 44 - 46%.

Nearly three-quarters (73% or 6 million) of Australian households have access to a computer, and 5 million of these have Internet access. This is a five-fold increase in the number of household Internet connections in under ten years.

The survey also found that the Internet is used daily by half (50%) of all Australians over the age of 15, and almost all (91%) use it at least weekly. People with lower levels of education, older people (55 years and over), Indigenous people and unemployed people had considerably lower internet usage.

Other findings include:
  • Metropolitan areas had considerably higher Broadband connectivity (49%) than other areas (34%).
  • Households with children under 15 had higher Broadband access (57%) compared to households without (38%).
  • Higher income households also had higher access rates.


Further details are available in Household Use of Information Technology, Australia 2006-07 (cat. no. 8146.0).