More and more of daily life happens through a screen: banking, medical appointments, government services, even catching up with the grandkids. For older Australians who didn’t grow up with this technology, that shift can feel isolating, and it carries real risks around scams. The good news is there’s a free, trusted program built for exactly this. Here’s what Be Connected offers and how to get started.
What Be Connected Is
Be Connected is an Australian government initiative dedicated to building the confidence, digital skills and online safety of older Australians. The online learning is delivered by the eSafety Commissioner, and it’s completely free.
The website offers hundreds of short, self-paced courses covering everything from smartphone and tablet basics to using myGov, online banking, video calling and staying safe online. There are how-to videos, printable tip sheets, live webinars and even a practice area where skills can be tried without fear of breaking anything.
“It’s difficult for anyone to stay on top of the continually evolving digital landscape,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has noted.
Help in Person, Not Just Online
Learning from a website isn’t for everyone, and Be Connected knows it. The program works through a network of thousands of community organisations across Australia, including local libraries, neighbourhood centres and aged care facilities, offering free face-to-face computer classes and one-on-one tech support.
Since 2017, the program has supported around two million people, and it keeps growing. There’s also a lovely intergenerational stream called Young Mentors, where high school students help older Australians build digital confidence one weekly session at a time, with benefits flowing both ways.
The Scam Protection Angle
For many families, this is the part that matters most. Older Australians suffer some of the biggest financial losses to scams, and the strongest protection isn’t software, it’s confidence and knowledge. Be Connected’s courses cover how to spot common scams, protect personal information, and handle suspicious calls, emails and messages.
If you help care for an older parent, working through the scam-awareness material together is one of the most practical afternoons you can spend. You can explore the courses at the Be Connected website.
How to Get Started
For self-paced learning, simply visit the Be Connected site and browse by topic, no experience needed and the courses assume nothing. For in-person help, the website’s search tool finds free computer classes and support sessions near you.
If you’re supporting someone else, patience is the main ingredient. Research shows older people learn digital skills best when someone shows them how rather than doing it for them, which builds lasting confidence instead of dependence.
The Bigger Picture
Digital inclusion has become part of healthy ageing. Being confident online means access to telehealth, easier contact with family, independence with banking and services, and protection against those who prey on the unfamiliar. Programs like Be Connected exist so that no older Australian has to be left behind by the pace of change, and they’re free for the taking. More information is also available through the Department of Social Services.
Epik Wire covers ageing, technology and aged care in plain language for families. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed.
