As the international community moves inexorably towards a "smart" future, the position of Australia's non-urban areas in that future is less certain. The (re-elected) Australian federal government made a commitment to moving Australian cities forward as part of the international "smart city" movement. However, the effectiveness of this commitment in enabling non-urban areas to attain the same level of "smartness" is unclear. This is particularly so in view of the delayed roll out of the NBN. The research examines the "smart" discourse for Australia's non-urban areas in the context of the federal government's "Smart Cities Plan". In doing so the research pinpoints a hole in that plan and identifies matters specifically requiring government attention. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]