If you’ve driven through the Northern Territory lately you may have seen these structures, always in places where there is no mobile phone reception. No reception, that is, until you rest your phone on one of these bush hotspots.

Disconnect is a podcast about the internet in remote Australian Aboriginal communities. Produced by RMIT University, led by Ellie Rennie, Indigo Holcombe-James and Tyson Yunkaporta, with producer James Milsom, Disconnect was funded by Telstra as an action within their Reconciliation Action Plan 2018-2021 (hyperlinks below).

The research underpinning this podcast series is as follows:

RMIT University: https://digital-ethnography.com/

Telstra's Reconciliation Action Plan: https://www.telstra.com.au/content/dam/tcom/about-us/community-environment/pdf/tel024_telstra-reconciliation-action-plan-2018-2021.pdf

In this episode you heard from:

Dennis Charles

Pamela Lynch Kngwarraye

Veronica Lynch Kngwarraye

Andrew Crouch, formerly Centre for Appropriate Technology Steve Rogers, Centre for Appropriate Technology

Music prior to credits: Ngarrikwujeyinama performed by Emily Wurramara. Licensed courtesy Wantok Music.

The inDigiMOB program worked with us on this episode. inDigiMOB is a partnership between First Nations Media Australia and Telstra.

First Nations Media Australia (formerly known as Indigenous Remote Communications Association or IRCA) is the national peak body for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media industry.

Soft sculpture of tin can telephone by Rhonda Sharpe, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists.

Image design by Pam Koger.