Kangaroo Island mayor, Jayne Bates is excited about the potential for the national broadband network (NBN) to change life on the island, 16 kilometres by sea from South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula.
According to Mayor Bates, it’s hard to say exactly what opportunities will open up but the council doesn’t want to miss any opportunities.
“Five years ago no-one knew what an iPad was; now they’re a part of everyday life,” Mayor Bates said.
“The car changed the world and I think the NBN has the same potential,” Mayor Bates said.
When it comes to communications technology, Kangaroo Island is behind much of mainland Australia and the entire island does not have mobile phone coverage and internet access is patchy at best.
“In some areas of the island businesses don’t know what kind of internet they will get each day,” Mayor Bates said.
“The NBN will level the playing field between our island and the rest of Australia.
“I also think there will be huge opportunities to better promote Kangaroo Island, simply because we won’t be limited from communicating with the outside world like we are now.
According to the Mayor, keeping young people on the Island is tough when they have to leave to pursue further study like university.
“Mayor Bates hopes the NBN will make it easier for locals to access education from home,” she said.
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