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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-AU link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'>Dear colleagues and friends of the Living Languages/RNLD network,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'>Today I would like to share a media release with you which is mainly relevant for you if you reside in Australia. It is related to the new “Closing the Gap” agreement recently published by the Commonwealth Government. It’s reassuring to see that the increased use of Indigenous languages is now included as one of the 10-year targets (and we may have to thank the National Indigenous Languages Report for that) - but there is concern that without additional support, very little may change. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'>The attached document is being sent to government officials and media outlets around the country and we hope to draw some attention to the funding situation for Indigenous languages in Australia. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'>I have also forwarded the article to PM Scott Morrison with the following intro:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.85pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Dear Prime Minister,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.85pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>I would like to draw your attention to the attached media release with regard to the funding provided to Indigenous languages. Indigenous Australians warmly welcome the recently released Closing the Gap agreement, which includes the increased use of Indigenous languages as one of the 10-year targets. This is also in line with the upcoming UNESCO-declared Decade of Indigenous Languages and the recommendations made in the National Indigenous Languages Report (NILR) just released. Australians involved with language centres to maintain, revitalise, and revive our languages are concerned that the funding made available through the Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program will not suffice to achieve those goals and the attached article investigates the details of this predicament.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.85pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>On behalf of the wider community involved in Indigenous language work I would like to invite you to review this document and take action to improve the situation of Indigenous language centres. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.85pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>We are sharing these concerns with the media on a nationwide scale and hope this will resonate positively with the Commonwealth Government.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'>If you would like to support this initiative, please feel free to circulate the document within your own networks or forward it to your local MPs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'>Thank you all and best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'>Knut<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>___________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>Mirima Council Aboriginal Corporation<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language and Culture Centre (MDWg)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>Dr. Knut J. Olawsky<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>CEO and Senior Linguist<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>P.O. Box 2420<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>Kununurra, WA 6743<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>Phone: (08) 9169 1029<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>E-mail: <a href="mailto:manager@mirima.org.au"><span style='color:blue'>manager@mirima.org.au</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#666666;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'><a href="http://www.mirima.org.au/"><span style='color:blue'>www.mirima.org.au</span></a></span><span style='color:#666666;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.mirima.org.au/"><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F4E79;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=224 height=85 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D67613.6EDAAF50" alt="cid:image001.png@01D348EA.A7D0C320"></span></a><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;color:#666666;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'> </span><a href="https://www.givenow.com.au/mirima"><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=175 height=83 id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.png@01D67613.6EDAAF50" alt="cid:image001.png@01D34825.8ECA5190"></span></a><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mirima?ref=hl"><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;color:blue;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=36 height=36 id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image003.png@01D67613.6EDAAF50" alt="cid:image002.png@01D34825.8ECA5190"></span></a><a href="https://twitter.com/Mirima_Language"><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=38 height=36 id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image004.jpg@01D67613.6EDAAF50" alt="cid:image003.jpg@01D34825.8ECA5190"></span></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=99759195&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic"><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=36 height=36 id="Picture_x0020_5" src="cid:image005.png@01D67613.6EDAAF50" alt="cid:image004.png@01D34825.8ECA5190"></span></a><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;color:#666666;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#006600;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>MDWg’s mission is to save the Miriwoong Language and Culture from extinction. </span><span style='color:#006600;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#006600;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>If you would like to support this important goal please visit </span><i><span style='color:#0070C0;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'><a href="http://www.givenow.com.au/mirima"><span style='color:#0070C0'>www.givenow.com.au/mirima</span></a></span></i><i><span style='color:#006600;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#006600;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU'>Every contribution counts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#002060'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2">
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