Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)

This project is about ‘e-changers’, a significant and growing segment of the population who have chosen to move from the city to regional and coastal areas while maintaining their city jobs.

Through online ethnography with e-change households and interviews with other stakeholders, RMIT researchers sought to understand and document the telecommunications experiences and needs of this distinctive and growing segment of the Australian population.E-change report image.jpg

With evidence of an increasingly mobile workforce in Australia and in particular significant migration from cities to rural areas, it is imperative to understand the drivers behind these shifts, along with the challenges it presents.

The key findings of the report involve a range of issues related to the growth of remote work in regional areas. These include new work practices and the capacity to work from home; shifts in values around the place of work and lifestyle; the importance of digital services as essential infrastructure for remote work, the role of domestic design and infrastructure in supporting remote work; the impact of choice of location on access to affordable and diverse housing; and the role and impact of long commuting in relation to public transport options and mobile digital connectivity.

 

Download the project report and tip sheets below:

Download: pdfReport: E-change and remote work in Australia (pdf)2.26 MB

Download: docxReport: E-change and remote work in Australia.docx (Accessible)847.73 KB

 

Download: pdfTip Sheet 1: E-change households661.66 KB

Download: pdfTip Sheet 2: Renters559.42 KB

Download: pdfTip Sheet 3: Local councils565.2 KB

Download: pdfTip Sheet 4: Employers572.81 KB

Download: pdfTip Sheet 5: Co-working spaces547.53 KB

Download: pdfTip Sheet 6: Telecommunications companies587.4 KB

 

Grant Round: 2020

Amount: $45,754