Network Western Australia aims to improve bandwidth at 308 sites — primarily schools, health clinics and hospitals — in 58 West Australian towns to allow the introduction of online learning and telemedicine applications. Telstra will provide bandwidth upgrades of between 2Mbps and 5Mbps in a roll-out expected to be completed by next June.
The project is funded to the tune of $60 million over eight years by the state government, and the federal government will provide $8 million over two years through its National Communications Fund.
The NCF funding for Network Western Australia was announced by Prime Minister John Howard during a visit to Perth in 2002, but has only just got off the ground after a tender process.
A spokeswoman for the West Australian Office of E-government said the project was 50 per cent larger than originally planned, and took in other sites in addition to key health and education organisations.
The Catholic Education Office has signed up for 47 sites, and Curtin University and the Royal Flying Doctors Service have five sites each.
"The benefits will flow on to other agencies, communities, small business and local government," the spokeswoman said.
The announcement burnishes the Labor Government's credentials in rural Western Australia, supporting applications ranging from School of the Air education to videoconferencing between patients and city-based medical specialists.
"This project will allow online learning in the education sector using voice and other services, and the sharing of curriculum content across the network," Premier Geoff Gallop said.
"It will also provide some very important benefits for our health- care system with regard to contact between health services throughout the state."
States have begun to examine their health telecommunications networks ahead of a national introduction of the HealthConnect/MediaConnect network, a government-backed plan to improve health records and communications between health professionals.
The scheme is being piloted in South Australia and Tasmania.
Autor: Simon Hayes
Quelle: Australian IT, 22.06.2004
