The Tasmanian Council of Social Service lobbied the state government last year about the impacts of the digital divide in Tasmania and says now is the time to address.

TasCOSS acting chief executive Simone Zell said what had happened during the pandemic was it had highlighted a growing divide among people who had access to the internet and those who didn't.

"It's widely acknowledged that access to the Internet and digital devices is absolutely essential," Ms Zell said.

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TasCOSS prepared a report it presented to the state government last year to assist the government as it acted towards addressing the challenge of digital inclusion.

The report drew on the findings of the national digital inclusion report but also showed how Tasmania's digital inclusion could be improved.

Low-socio-economic populations and an ageing population are all barriers to digital inclusion in Tasmania, TasCOSS's report found. Ms Zell said digital inclusion was impacting more and more on the daily life of Tasmanians, due to the increasing digitisation of government services.

She said people needed to be able to access things like Centrelink, MyGov and MyHealth records. Still, if they had low digital inclusion, they often missed out on relevant health information, support services or access to their data, like tax or debt information. The systems for these government services also require a shake-up, to make them easier to navigate.

Another significant barrier to digital inclusion was low incomes or being underemployed or unemployed, Ms Zell said. She said it was the role of governments to improve access that was not impeded by the finances of an individual, to embrace individuals' ability to become digitally literate.

"It's evident that we need to ensure all Tasmanians can participate digitally," she said. She said while access to technology and devices was necessary, it was equally essential people could practice and get proficient at the skills required.

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Ms Zell said digital exclusion had resulted in an increase in feelings of loneliness and isolation among those who could not use the internet to connect or conduct their business.

Older people were more vulnerable to these feelings and reported higher levels of digital exclusion than other age groups.

"Now is the time for us to make those bold decisions," she said.

"We have an opportunity through the recovery process to look at systems and set them up better for the future.

"Improving this is one way Tasmania can future proof itself in the event of another pandemic or like situation."

TasCOSS briefed the government on its digital inclusion research findings about 12 months ago, in June last year.

Improving digital literacy is not just about access to devices but about giving people the confidence to use them.

The Australian Computer Society Tasmanian branch is an organisation that works with adults and young people to access the world of ICT, through education and employment.

Tasmania general manager Polly Venning said ACS wanted to give people the right tools to use computers and technology in their everyday life.

She said if the digital divide was not addressed, people would be left behind.

"I fear that people will be left behind to the point where I don't think they will be able to catch up," she said.

She said mature people and disadvantaged young people were more at risk of not learning how to use technology due to access issues, not only to devices but to secure internet connections. Ms Jenning said computers, the internet and associated technology had permeated our culture that it was impossible to navigate society without some level of skill.

"What this COVID-19 situation has shown us is the importance of a good connection and connectivity," she said.

Ms Jenning said some people were disinclined to use technology if they didn't have access to it, and this widened the gap to the point it couldn't be closed.

However, she said she found there was less stigma attached to ICT and more people were hungry to learn how to incorporate it into their work and personal lives.

ACS helps support people on their ICT journey through programs and mentorship.

"What this has shown is that access to devices, and reliable internet is no longer a 'nice to have' it's a 'need to have', and it's setting up the governments to be able to consider how they will facilitate that.

She said everyone, from governments to employers had a role to play in ensuring digital literacy and supporting people on that journey. The federal government recently established a tech board to help advise its policy decisions moving forward from coronavirus.

Ms Venning said this was an excellent first step but more work needed to be done to close the gap, particularly in Tasmania.

"We need to have the infrastructure to support this," she said.

Ms Venning said Tasmania had often been the "poor cousin" for ICT infrastructure but now was the opportunity to solve that.