PRESS RELEASE: Concerns over Federal funding for Australian Indigenous languages
I would like to draw your attention to a 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 I have written an article that investigates the details of this predicament (unfortunately I am unable to attach it to this form).
It is not often that the fate of Indigenous languages makes headlines in Australian media and we have forwarded our concerns to a range of senior politicians, including the Prime Minister.
On behalf of the wider community involved in Indigenous language work I would like to invite you to discuss the details mentioned; I’d be happy to forward the full document via e-mail; below I am just inserting some key points.
I would be happy to answer any further questions, if useful.
Concerns over funding for Australian Indigenous languages – Key points
“Closing the Gap” includes languages but no new funding?
The new National Agreement on Closing the Gap includes support for Australian Indigenous languages, yet no new funding has been committed yet by the Commonwealth government.
Why is there so little support for languages compared to other sectors?
In comparison to other areas, funding allocated to Australian Indigenous languages is remarkably low. Sectors such as sports, arts, foreign aid or the wine industry receive much more substantial support – some of them hundreds of millions of dollars.
How would $20 million per year for 150 languages make a difference?
The Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program commits to “around $20 million per annum” for Indigenous languages and this amount supports the operation of a network of Indigenous language centres around the country but also includes provisions for projects undertaken by Indigenous arts organisations. Australia has over 150 Indigenous languages in need of support. Given this, a portion of $20 million represents an almost negligible amount of funding.
No increase in funding for 5-10 years is leading to cuts in services
ILA funding has not been increased over the past 5 years despite rising costs. Language Centres around the country are struggling to provide urgently needed language support and are on the brink of cutting down on personnel and services.
Languages are sidelined in the shadow of Arts
The $20 million of ILA funding include support for arts projects around the country despite the arts sector having access to multiple funding sources otherwise. The sidelining of Indigenous languages must be addressed by creating a funding program specifically dedicated to languages.
Language is not luxury – it does make a difference in people’s lives
Language is a crucial part of human identity, which is strongly reflected in research that shows the positive impact of language learning on people. Better mental health, higher school attendance, and lower crime levels are just some of the effects of language learning.
Continued underfunding means ignoring an opportunity
Neglecting these benefits will mean to ignore the enormous potential of Indigenous language use. A stronger commitment of support for Australian Indigenous languages will ultimately result in less spending on social issues and trigger an economic benefit for all.
Australia must take its role for the Decade of Indigenous Languages seriously
The low level of actual support for languages is in contradiction to Australia’s promotion of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages and the upcoming 2022-32 Decade of Indigenous Languages declared by UNESCO and supported by the Australian Government. It is time to step up and show Australia’s serious commitment to our Indigenous languages.
