[Telecentres] Basic Telecentre Items/ICT Definition

[Don Cameron]

Elizabeth, Matyas and all,

 

The Australian experience mirrors the Hungarian with perhaps a lesser
reliance on Local Government. Most Telecentre’s received start-up funding
from the Commonwealth with a lesser contributory portion coming from State
Governments. Our major Telecentre support networks are run by State
Government Departments funded in large portion by Commonwealth
contributions. It is worth noting that our Federal and State Governments
have now ceased providing funds for start-up Telecentre’s.

 

Very few Australian Telecentre’s have closed in recent years however a great
many have evolved into businesses scarcely recognisable as Telecentre’s as
niche markets are discovered, developed, and duplicative ventures are handed
to Government and/or other commercial providers. In these cases services
were, as you suspect, integrated into other community businesses and
programs. In other cases services simply became obsolete as newer
technologies replaced market demand (home broadband & community WIFI
developments etc.) 

 

Some of our early Telecentre’s are now banks; others are training venues
affiliated with State or National training providers; some are computer
repair shops; some are ISP’s. Most retain the name of Telecentre (or
‘Technology & Learning Centre’, ‘Business Incubation Centre’ etc.) however
become less true Telecentre’s as services are rationalised to meet evolving
community needs. A good overview of the types of services provided by NSW
Telecentre’s (and the charges applied for each service) is available at:
www.ctc.nsw.gov.au/service/browse_type.jsp - The charges applied are
comparatively low in accord with the community focus of Telecentre’s however
are designed to maintain financial sustainability while acknowledging a need
to maintain competitive neutrality. The purpose of Telecentre’s is certainly
not to put other businesses out of business by undercutting prices to an
extent where no business is sustainable – Such an act would be counter to
the mission of fostering community economic development as it inevitably
leads to a welfare state.

 

Rgds, Don

 

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