With the return of the 2024 school year, Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell is encouraging families to check if they are eligible for free home broadband through the Federal Government’s School Student Broadband Initiative, SSBI.
To ensure more Australians school students have access to broadband, the government is investing $8.8 million to connect up to 30,000 eligible families with school-aged children to the NBN.
“As students around Australia prepare to go back to school, it is essential they have access to reliable, fast home broadband to fully engage in online learning and connect with teachers and peers,” Mr Mitchell said.
“Not only does this initiative support educational outcomes, it benefits entire households who can access essential digital services like telehealth and banking from home.”
The initiative has been extended through to December 31, 2025.
More than 6000 households have already been connected to free internet through the SSBI, and a further 18,000 vouchers have been issued to eligible families to get connected.
To be eligible, a family must:
- Have a child living at home and enrolled in an Australian school;
- Have no active home broadband service over the NBN network;
- Live in premises that can access a standard NBN service.
Families interested in the SSBI can contact the National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610, Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, to have their eligibility assessed.
The government is considering options to further support participating families at the end of 2025, including asking the NBN Low-Income and Digital Inclusion Forum to examine discounted products.
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