Telecommunications in Australia refers to communication in Australia through electronic means, using devices such as telephone, television, radio or computer, and services such as the telephony and broadband networks. Telecommunications have always been important in Australia given the 'tyranny of distance' with a dispersed population. Governments have driven telecommunication development and have a key role in its regulation.
The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.
The Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) was a branch of the Australian Government. It was established on 8 April 2004, taking over some of the functions of the former National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE).
The Australian Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is a former department of the Government of Australia that was charged with the responsibility to help develop a vibrant, sustainable and internationally competitive broadband, broadcasting and communications sector and, through this, promote the digital economy for the benefit of all Australians.
The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts was an Australian government department that existed between October 1998 and December 2007. The Department was closed on 3 December 2007 and its authority was transferred to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
The Department of Finance is a department of the Government of Australia that is charged with the responsibility of assisting the government across a wide range of policy areas to ensure its outcomes are met, particularly with regard to expenditure, financial management, and the operations of government.
The Australian Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts has overall responsibility for broadcasting, the information and communications technology industry, the information economy, and telecommunications within Australia.
Internet in Australia first became available on a permanent basis to universities in Australia in May 1989, via AARNet. Pegasus Networks was Australia's first public Internet provider in June 1989. The first commercial dial-up Internet Service Provider (ISP) appeared in capital cities soon after, and by the mid-1990s almost the entire country had a range of choices of dial-up ISPs. Today, Internet access is available through a range of technologies, i.e. hybrid fibre coaxial cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and satellite Internet. In July 2009, the federal government, in partnership with the industrial sector, began rolling out a nationwide fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and improved fixed wireless and satellite access through the National Broadband Network. Subsequently, the roll out was downgraded to a Multi-Technology Mix on the promise of it being less expensive and with earlier completion. In October 2020, the federal government announced an upgrade by 2023 of NBN fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) services to FTTP for 2 million households, at a cost of A$3.5 billion.
The Telecommunication Society of Australia (TSA) has served the Australian telecommunications industry as its learned society since its initial formation as the Telegraph Electrical Society in 1874, in response to enthusiasm for the then new engineering science of electrical telegraphy. Since then the Society has evolved in response to the industry’s growth through successive phases of industry restructuring: the introduction of telephony by the private sector (1880); nationalization following Federation of Australia (1901); the passing of the Postmaster-General Department’s monopoly role (1902–1975) to the arms-length government business Telecom Australia (1975–92); and the introduction of competition with the staged privatisation of Telecom Australia’s successor, Telstra, in 1991, 1997 and 2005.
The Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, abbreviated KKMM, is a ministry of the Government of Malaysia that is responsible for communications, multimedia, broadcasting, information, personal data protection, special affairs, media industry, film industry, domain name, postal, courier, mobile service, fixed service, broadband, digital signature, universal service, international broadcasting, content.
The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts was a department of the Government of Australia charged with responsibility for communications policy and programs and cultural affairs.
The Australian Department of Employment was a department of the Government of Australia charged with the responsibility for national policies and programs that help Australians find and keep employment and work in safe, fair and productive workplaces. On 20 December 2017 the department was dissolved and its functions assumed by the newly formed Department of Jobs and Small Business.
The Department of Transport and Communications was an Australian government department that existed between July 1987 and December 1993.
The Department of Communications and the Arts was an Australian government department that existed between January 1994 and October 1998.
The Australian Government Department of Agriculture was a federal government department charged with the responsibility to develop and implement policies and programs that ensure Australia's agricultural, fisheries, food and forestry industries remain competitive, profitable and sustainable.
The Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology is a Bangladeshi government ministry. It contains two divisions:
The Australian Department of Jobs and Small Business was a department of the Government of Australia charged with the responsibility for employment, job services and the labour market, workplace relations, small business, and deregulation. The Department was established on the 20 December 2017 and was part of the larger Jobs and Innovation portfolio which also includes the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science which reported to the Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, The Hon. Kelly O'Dwyer MP. The final head of the department was the Secretary of the Department of Jobs and Small Business, Kerri Hartland.
The Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) is a department of the Government of Australia, formed on 1 February 2020 from the merger of the Department of Education and Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business.
