Bendigo's Digital Literacy Programs Gain International Recognition Through Partnerships

Bendigo launched an expanded digital literacy initiative last month that triples the number of free tech workshops available at public libraries and community centres across the city, a move that local officials say puts the regional capital ahead of comparable tech hubs in Europe and North America.

The program, called ConnectBendigo 2.0, began on 14 June 2026 and now operates at 12 venues including the Bendigo Library on Hargreaves Street, the Eaglehawk Community House and the Goldfields Technology Hub on Mollison Street. It offers 80 sessions a month covering everything from basic smartphone navigation to introductory coding with Python, a breadth that city councillor Lisa Roberts told The Daily Bendigo is “rare even in larger metros like Melbourne or Toronto.”

The timing matters. As OpenAI and other AI companies push deeper into households, and as extreme weather events like the recent New York heat wave highlight the life-saving role of accessible tech, Bendigo is quietly building a model that blends local volunteer networks with corporate partnerships. The result is a digital literacy ecosystem that doesn’t just teach skills but also provides hardware: refurbished tablets and laptops, distributed free through the Bendigo Community Hub on View Street, have reached more than 1,200 residents since January 2025.

Community-led, industry-backed

What makes Bendigo’s approach distinctive globally is the degree of cooperation between hyperlocal organisations and large employers. The Goldfields Technology Hub, a repurposed shopfront on Mollison Street, runs weekday drop-in sessions staffed by volunteers from the Bendigo Tech Guild, a group of retired IT professionals. Meanwhile, Bendigo Bank and La Trobe University contribute equipment and curriculum design. “You don’t see that kind of cross-sector mesh in most cities our size,” said a spokesperson for the City of Greater Bendigo, noting that a similar program in Bristol, UK, relies almost entirely on central government grants.

Data from the City’s annual digital inclusion survey, published in March 2026, shows that Bendigo’s internet access rate among low-income households rose from 67% to 80% between 2022 and 2025, a jump that researchers at the University of Melbourne attribute directly to the free workshops and device-distribution drive. The survey also found that 72% of participants reported feeling “more confident” using online services for health, banking and education within three months of attending a single session.

What happens next

The City has already pencilled in an expansion for early 2027, adding two mobile digital literacy vans that will serve outlying suburbs including Long Gully and Maiden Gully. Registration for the current slate of workshops is open through the Bendigo Library website and at the Goldfields Hub on Mollison Street. Most sessions are capped at 15 participants; the introductory “Tech Basics for Seniors” class, held each Wednesday at 10 a.m., has been booked out through August.

For Bendigo, the lesson is clear: a city that invests in digital literacy doesn’t just keep pace, it sets the pace.