A Way Forward: Sustainable ICTs And Regional Sustainability

Abstract

From the participatory action research we have conducted in two rural communities in Australia we suggest six factors that assist in achieving sustainability for ICT initiatives undertaken in pursuit of regional development. They include:

• Clearly specified sustainability goals;
  
• Leveraging micro-business enterprise development off government funded technical and human infrastructure provision, and using local industry strengths;
  
• Learning from global experiences whilst building on local assets;
  
• Finding innovative business models to capitalise on new opportunities for content and applications;
  
• Ensuring community involvement in deciding, planning and evaluating projects; and
  
• Adopting a learning approach.