MEMBER for Mildura Ali Cupper is calling for feedback from people in the electorate about internet issues as state school students prepare to start term two from home.

Ms Cupper said it was crucial potential internet connection problems were identified as soon as possible to ensure students in her electorate had access to the technology they needed to study from home.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday announced all state school students who could study from home, would have to study at home, as part of the Victorian Government’s COVID-19 response.

Mr Andrews outlined plans for 6000 laptops and tablets be made available for loan to students who don’t have digital technology at home. Schools will also distribute classroom devices as required.

The government said it would deliver free SIM cards or dongles to thousands of students who needed them most.

“All those initiatives are great, however my biggest fear is students in my electorate could potentially be hindered by poor internet connection,” Ms Cupper said.

“Internet connectivity remains a problem in areas of the Mildura electorate – particularly the more remote areas.

“The fear is that with thousands of students all needing to access data from home at the same time, more pressure will be put on the network.

“We cannot have a situation where students in the Mildura electorate face being left behind because their internet connection is unable to handle learning from home.

“The government’s direction is that if you can learn from home, you must learn from home, and that is fine in theory but we have to ensure it’s practical and the technology is in place to allow that to happen.”

Ms Cupper urged people to contact her office so information could be collated to take to the relevant government authorities as needed.