[lg policy] Australia: Languages Policy & Advocacy

[Harold Schiffman]

Languages Policy & Advocacy
Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities

The Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities is the
outcome of an Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) funded
project which aims to lead the development of a stronger languages
culture in higher education in Australia.

Having emerged from work first begun by the Australian Academy of the
Humanities, the project will work to develop a coordinated national
approach to language education and scholarship in Australian
universities by building strategic leadership across disciplines and
institutions. The LCNAU will serve, among other things, to raise the
profile of language educators and public awareness of the cultural,
strategic and economic importance of language education for Australia.

Beyond the Crisis: Revitalising Languages in Australian Universities

Organised by the Language Studies Committee of the Academy, the Beyond
the Crisis colloquium was held at the University of Melbourne 16-18
February 2009 and brought together more than 140 teachers, researchers
and administrators from 30 institutions to contribute to the
development of a stronger culture of languages in higher education in
Australia.

The National Languages Summit

The Languages in Crisis: National Languages Summit was held 7 June
2007 at the National Press Club, Canberra. It was convened by the
Australian Academy of the Humanities and the Group of Eight
Universities as a strategic contribution to a developing national
discussion on the urgent need for policy leadership and action on
Australia’s language capability.

It brought together over 150 leaders from across the Australian
community with an interest and expertise in language learning,
including teachers, academics, public servants, the media, members of
the defence forces, and representatives of industry and ethnic
communities.

The Summit agreed that the development of Australia’s language
capability is firmly and urgently in our national interest. Australia
needs a comprehensive, coordinated languages plan to develop this
capability in a sensible fashion. This policy should be broad-based
and should involve a range of languages including Australian
Indigenous languages, as well as Asian, Middle-Eastern and European
languages.

Reports

    Report on Beginners’ LOTE (Languages Other than English) in
Australian Universities: An Audit Survey and Analysis (2008): the
Academy's ARC-funded survey of  beginners’ language provision across
the Australian university sector [.pdf 500KB].

    An Analysis of Retention Strategies and Technology Enhanced
Learning in Beginners' Languages Other Than English (LOTE) at
Australian Universities (2009): the Academy's ARC-funded study was
undertaken by a team based at the University of Melbourne, led by
Professor Colin Nettelbeck FAHA [.pdf 6.6MB].

    Communiqué of the Languages in Crisis: National Languages Summit
(2007) [.pdf 32KB].

http://www.humanities.org.au/PolicyResearch/Research/LanguagePolicyAdvocacy.aspx

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