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Aboriginal computer scheme scrapped

Posted December 4, 2008 12:37:00
Updated December 4, 2008 13:43:00

Scheme scrapped: An Aboriginal boy with a laptop computer (ABC: Sarah Hawke)

The Federal Government says it will be at least February before a program to bring computers and internet to remote Aboriginal communities will be restarted.

The Government has cancelled the computer part of the Backing Indigenous Ability program, saying the company Paradigm Solutions had failed to deliver some of the computers on time.

The company has complained, saying the contract conditions were tough, and 134 Aboriginal communities will now miss out on getting connected to the web.

Federal Telecommunications Minister Stephen Conroy says the program has failed, with 50 per cent of the computers not working any more because of a lack of IT back-up support in communities.

"We're looking at a new design of a program. We're actually looking to create a new program but we are not in a position yet where we can reveal what our thinking is," he said.

"We've had the report for a couple of months and we have until February to assess, design and create a new program because clearly what we want to do is ensure that computers are on the ground."

Tags: community-and-society, indigenous, government-and-politics, federal-government, science-and-technology, computers-and-technology, internet, australia, nt