Portfolio — 17 June 2026

Minister Wells has shifted the Communications portfolio's public messaging from digital safety — the online harms and duty-of-care focus that dominated the prior week — toward digital access and economic readiness, announcing the opening of applications for the $50 million Local Digital Priority Projects grant program [TA-260616-infras-c8bf32904e72]. The program is a joint Commonwealth-Queensland investment, with the Albanese Government contributing $40 million and the Crisafulli Government contributing $10 million, and is explicitly framed around closing connectivity and digital skills gaps in South East Queensland communities ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games [TA-260616-infras-c8bf32904e72].

The program's eligible activities span public Wi-Fi network establishment, digital infrastructure upgrades, and digital skills and training delivery. Eligible applicants include local governments, industry bodies, public and private entities, and not-for-profits, with applications closing 24 August. The breadth of eligible applicant types and project categories signals an intent to draw in non-government delivery partners, not just councils, to address what the release characterises as underdeveloped connectivity and capability across the region.

Wells framed the investment in economic terms — enabling businesses and communities to access essential services, build stronger local economies, and capture lasting benefit from the Games — rather than leading on connectivity as a social equity measure, though the targeting of underserved communities carries an implicit equity rationale. The Games deadline gives the program a concrete delivery horizon and a politically legible anchor for the joint federal-state funding arrangement.

Policy staff should note that the program sits across Communications, regional development, and skills domains; the observations flag digital skills and training as a component that may attract interest from Skills and Training portfolio watchers.