The last remaining services of the Regional Tech Hub will close at the end of the month, ending a five-and-a-half-year run that saw it provide technical connectivity advice to 80,000 households in the bush.
The National Farmers Federation, which operated the hub, has confirmed that it was unable to secure an alternative funding source for the service after the federal government decided not to renew its funding at the last budget.
The NFF said that the hub’s direct services officially closed on June 30 and that its information and resources will no longer be available from August 31.
NFF chief executive officer Michael Guerin said the organisation was deeply disappointed with the government’s decision not to continue the hub’s funding.
“At a time when telecommunications technology is becoming more complex and major changes such as the universal outdoor mobile obligation are approaching, rural and regional Australians need independent, plain-English support more than ever,” he said.
“The government is investing significantly in regional telecommunications infrastructure, but infrastructure alone is not enough.
“People still need help to understand what is available, choose the right option and make it work where they live.”
The Regional Tech Hub officially started in December 2020, but its roots go back to at least 2018 when, in an earlier guise, it was a group of volunteers from bush telco consumer lobby Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia (BIRRR).
The volunteers helped telco consumers in regional areas find and fix connectivity problems, including mediating and escalating issues with NBN fixed wireless and Sky Muster connections.
The federal government stepped in 2023 and began financing the initiative through an annual $2 million endowment from its Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia (BCPRRA) fund.
Funding for the BCPRRA is also set to drop sharply from next year.
As reported by iTnews, forward estimates in the budget papers show that its funding will drop from $116 million this financial year to $32 million in FY2027-28.
It’s set to halve to $17 million the following year and finally to $780,000 by 2029-30.
Guerin said that the NFF remained open to continuing the hub’s operations if an alternative source of financing it could be found.
“As the need for connectivity support has not gone away, and neither has our belief in the program, if a sustainable funding opportunity emerges in the future, the NFF welcomes the chance to bring this important service back.”
