UN: Australia failing to properly resource Aboriginal languages

[Greg Dickson]

Thanks Ruth,

I started reading some of the comments but they were horrific and had  
to stop.

If anyone's interested, here's the extract from the UN report about  
language:

21. The Committee welcomes the new national approach to preserve  
Indigenous languages but is concerned that no additional financial  
resources have been committed by the State party nor received by the  
Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records program for this new  
approach. The Committee is also highly concerned by the recent  
abolition of bilingual education funding by the Northern Territory  
Government in light of the precarious condition of many Indigenous  
languages, and the lack of adequate opportunities for children to  
receive instruction in or of their language (art. 2, 5).

                              The Committee encourages the State  
party to allocate adequate resources for the new national approach to  
preserve Indigenous languages. It recommends that the State party, in  
consultation with Indigenous communities, hold a national inquiry  
into the issue of bilingual education for Indigenous peoples. The  
Committee also recommends that the State party adopt all necessary  
measures to preserve native languages and develop and carry out  
programmes to revitalize indigenous languages and bilingual and  
intercultural education for Indigenous peoples respecting cultural  
identity and history.  In line with the UNESCO Convention against  
Discrimination in Education, to which Australia is a party, the  
Committee encourages the State party to consider providing adequate  
opportunities for national minorities to the use and teaching of  
their own language.



Seems like there certainly is a long way to go for Australia to admit  
there is a racism problem and then to actually combat it!

Cheers,
Greg.

On 31/08/2010, at 9:03 AM, Ruth Singer wrote:

> Anyone want to write a letter?
>
> UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination finds
> Australia is not doing enough to resource the preservation of
> Aboriginal languages.
>
> http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/can-do-better-the-un- 
> verdict-yet-again-on-discrimination-in-the-land-of-the-fair- 
> go-20100829-13xnz.html
>
> (see last paragraph)
>
> Ruth Singer
> La Trobe University / University of Melbourne

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