INTRODUCTION
This publication presents statistics on the access to, and use of, Information Technology (IT) by farms in Australia. The data were obtained from questions included in the 2001-02 Agricultural Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Information obtained was in respect of the year ended 30 June 2002. Some comparisons with data collected in the 1997-98, 1998-99 (both year ending 31 March) and 1999-2000 Agricultural Commodity Surveys have been included. No data was collected for the period 2000-01 as the Agricultural Census was conducted for this period and information technology data were not collected in the Agricultural Census.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
- Of the 135,377 Australian farms, an estimated 53% (or 71,461 farms) used a computer and 43% (or 58,595 farms) used the Internet for business purposes at June 2002.
- Between June 2000 and June 2002, the proportion of farms with access to a computer has increased by only 4 percentage points to 62%. During this period, the proportion of farms with access to the Internet has increased by 14 percentage points to 48%.
FARMS WITH INTERNET ACCESS
- Western Australia reported the highest proportion of farms using a computer (63%) and the highest proportion using the Internet (54%), while Victoria reported the lowest proportions, with 49% and 39% respectively.
FARM COMPUTER AND INTERNET USAGE
- The poultry farming industry reported the highest proportion of farms using the Internet (50%), while the grain, sheep and beef cattle farming and dairy cattle farming industries reported the lowest proportion of farms using the Internet (both 41%).
FARMS USING A COMPUTER OR THE INTERNET, by industry
OTHER INFORMATION
The publication also contains further detailed information on the above points of interest as well other information relating to computer and Internet access and use, including:
- Regional use of information technology
- Farm size and use of information technology
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