ABAC (the Australian Broadband Advisory Council) was established by the Australian Government in 2020 to provide advice to the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts on ways to maximise the benefits of high-speed networks in key sectors of the economy. The Council is made up of eminent Australians with expertise in innovation, connectivity and key sectors of the economy.

ABAC has taken a sector-by-sector approach to its work, and has established expert working groups to address the challenges and opportunities in a number of sectors. The report of the Agri-Tech Expert Working Group (AEWG) has been much-anticipated and was released by the Minister on 10 September 2021. The full report may be accessed at: Agri-Tech Expert Working Group (infrastructure.gov.au).

The AEWG’s report has been released during the consultation period of the Regional Telecommunications Review which has been tasked to report to Government by the end of the year.

The focus on the agriculture sector and on regional and rural telecommunications is important, and comes at a time when Australians are migrating to rural and regional areas as never before.

TelSoc is very pleased that the Chair of ABAC, Deena Shiff, and the co-convenors of the AEWG, Peter Waters and Andrea Koch, have agreed to present the Agri-Tech report as one in a series of TelSoc forums on broadband challenges and opportunities, and to engage in discussion on the important issues involved with TelSoc members and guests.