Media & Communications - Projects

Wired high rise

Current status and possible futures

There are 800 flats within the estate and so far more than 300 people have gone through training and more than 500 computers have been given out. Of these, more than 400 have a network connection which enables them to send and receive email as well as access an intranet with local content in English and other community languages. In addition, 270 of these households have an internet account which provides low-cost, high-speed access to the world wide web. Internet access is also available to residents through the public access computer training room on the estate, and classes in computer use continue to be run in English, Chinese and Vietnamese.

The Reach for the Clouds project is now known as e-ACE or the electronic–Atherton Community Enterprise. Everyone involved in the project is committed to the ultimate outcome of empowering a disadvantaged community to take control of their lives. Information from Wired High Rise will give an in-depth evaluation of the success of and gaps in the project and demonstrate to present and future state and federal governments the clear and tangible benefits that innovative partnerships and risk-taking can bring to struggling sections of our society.

The project also has the potential to be ongoing in a number of different directions. One possible future element will be a closer focus on the educational potential and influence of home computer access for children from low-income and disadvantaged families. Investigating changing patterns of media consumption and technology usage is another area in which this project has great potential.