I came across this whilst browsing Exetel's website. I know a lot of people wouldn't really consider this a deal, but thought it was worth sharing anyway.
From the Australian Government's Department of Infrastructure website:
To boost education opportunities and narrow the digital divide, the Australian Government is working with NBN Co to provide up to 30,000 families with no internet at home free NBN for 12 months.
To be eligible, families with school age children will be nominated by participating schools, education authorities and charities/community organisations. These organisations will identify and provide information directly to families within their respective systems about the initiative.
The first families were connected during Term One in 2023. The one-year of free service begins from the day the service is activated for each family.
The Government is supporting NBN Co’s implementation and delivery of this initiative with a $4.5 million grant. This is a targeted affordability initiative while the Government considers longer-term solutions to address digital exclusion and education.
Who is eligible to receive free services?
To qualify to apply for the SSBI program, a family must:
- have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school (up to Year 12 including Prep in QLD/VIC/TAS, Kindy in NSW, Reception in SA, Transition in NT/ACT and Pre-Primary in WA)
- not have an active nbn network internet service at home - having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility
- live in a premises that can access the nbn network via a standard connection
- not have had an active nbn connection during the previous 14 days
List of participating nominating organisations. In addition, Federal Members of Parliament and Senators are able to identify and nominate eligible families.
National
- Catholic Network Australia
- St Vincent de Paul Society (excludes Victoria and Western Australia)
- The Salvation Army
- The Smith Family
ACT
- ACT Education Directorate – ACT Government
- Argyle Housing
- Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
NSW
QLD
SA
TAS
VIC
WA
Edit 23/10/23:
To check your eligibility, follow these simple steps.
Contact the National Referral Centre, operated by Anglicare Victoria, on 1800 954 610 (Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm AEDT) or at www.anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet.
The National Referral Centre team will help assess your eligibility for the SSBI, by checking several things including your residential address and current financial situation.
If eligible, you will be issued a voucher which can be redeemed at any of the participating SSBI retail service providers. The National Referral Centre will also be available to assist with contacting your SSBI retail service provider of choice and providing follow-up support.
Update 29/01/2025
The duration of the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI), an Australian Government program, has been extended until 30 June 2028.
Families and carers already connected to a nbn SSBI service through the program will be automatically extended#, while those with unredeemed vouchers are encouraged to contact a participating internet provider to connect to the program.
Once the program reaches the cap of 30,000 SSBI services connected, no further nominations will be accepted by participating internet providers, and any unredeemed vouchers will become invalid.
With over 23,000 free nbn SSBI services already provided by participating internet providers through the program, this extension means families and carers can continue to benefit from this cost-saving initiative for an additional two and a half years.
Additionally, qualifying families and carers who have not yet participated now have more time to take advantage of the program, either by redeeming an existing voucher or applying for one - with the nomination period being extended until 31 December 2025, unless the cap of 30,000 services is reached earlier.
It is expected an automatic extension will apply if the family's participating SSBI internet provider decides to be part of SSBI after the end of 2025. nbn is considering alternative arrangements where a participating internet provider decides not to continue past the initial period end date of 31 December 2025, and those arrangements may involve the family selecting a new participating internet provider.
A list of participating internet providers is available at School Student Broadband Initiative.
This is a great deal. Some of you are a bit out of touch. I know some families who rely on just local library internet. This will be useful.