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| First Languages Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | First Languages Australia |
| Formation | 2018 |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Purpose | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language maintenance, revival, policy advocacy |
| Headquarters | Darwin, Northern Territory |
| Region served | Australia |
| Leader title | CEO |
| Leader name | Rodney Dillon |
| Affiliations | Indigenous Languages and Arts Program, Federal Indigenous Affairs bodies |
First Languages Australia is an Australian Indigenous language advocacy and service organisation focused on supporting, promoting and revitalising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. It operates nationally from a headquarters in Darwin and works with community language centres, cultural organisations, research institutes and federal agencies to implement policy, funding programs and community-led projects. The organisation engages with Indigenous leaders, linguists, arts bodies and education authorities to influence public awareness and legislative frameworks.
First Languages Australia emerged from earlier regional language networks and community organisations after consultations involving Indigenous leaders and institutions such as the Northern Land Council, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory, ATSIC-era delegates, and representatives from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Its formation followed national meetings that included delegates from the Kimberley Language Resource Centre, the Yolngu Matha Aboriginal Corporation, the Miriwoong Language Program and community groups associated with the Tiwi Islands. Early development involved partnerships with the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney and the University of Western Australia to align community needs with academic research. Federal policy contexts influencing its inception included initiatives by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, funding mechanisms from the Indigenous Languages and Arts Program and submissions to inquiries led by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Senate Standing Committee on Regional and Remote Indigenous Communities.
The organisation’s mission builds on frameworks promoted by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, recommendations from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Policy 2018 consultations and conventions advocated at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies. Core programs encompass language documentation, training for community linguists, digital archiving, and public awareness campaigns coordinated with groups like the National Native Title Tribunal, the Aboriginal Legal Service, and arts entities including the Australia Council for the Arts and the National Museum of Australia. Program delivery often engages with cultural institutions such as the State Library of South Australia, the National Library of Australia, the Powerhouse Museum, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and Indigenous media outlets like the National Indigenous Television and ABC Indigenous.
Governance structures reflect community-elected boards and advisory councils drawing on leaders from the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, the Coalition of Peaks, and representatives connected to land councils such as the Central Land Council and the Tiwi Land Council. Funding has been sourced from the Indigenous Languages and Arts Program, project grants from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, philanthropic bodies like the Ian Potter Foundation, the Myer Foundation, and partnerships with research funders including the Australian Research Council and state arts ministries such as the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts. Accountability reporting involves collaboration with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and compliance with procurement frameworks linked to the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines.
First Languages Australia supports curriculum development tied to state authorities like the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority, the NT Department of Education, and programs run in conjunction with the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria and the Department for Education (South Australia). Initiatives include teacher training with institutions such as the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, language nests modelled on approaches from the Te Kōhanga Reo movement, and digital learning platforms developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics and tech partners such as the CSIRO and the Australian Signals Directorate for secure data management. Community programs draw on successful examples from the Warlpiri Education and Training Trust, the Ngukurr Language Centre, and revival work associated with the Kaurna Cultural Heritage Association.
Collaborative networks extend to universities, research centres and cultural organisations including the SBS Broadcasting Group, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the Lowitja Institute, the Reconciliation Australia, the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, and legal partners like the Human Rights Commission when advising on rights frameworks. Regional partnerships include work with the Galiwin'ku Language Centre, the South Australian Native Title Services, the Western Australian Aboriginal Languages and Arts, and community-run bodies such as the Yuendumu Community council. International collaboration has involved exchanges with organisations connected to Te Puni Kōkiri, the Māori Language Commission, and advisors from the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.
Outcomes include increased community capacity in language documentation, creation of dictionaries and corpora for languages formerly undocumented (in partnership with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and university linguistics departments), expanded language programming on media outlets such as National Indigenous Television and regional radio networks, and contributions to policy changes influenced by submissions to the Parliament of Australia. Measurable outputs comprise trained community linguists, archived audio collections in collaboration with the National Library of Australia, and school syllabuses incorporating Indigenous languages with endorsements by bodies like the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
Critiques have focused on the scale of funding relative to need, coordination across jurisdictions involving agencies such as the Commonwealth Department of Finance and state treasuries, tensions between academic methodologies from institutions like the Australian National University and community priorities, and intellectual property concerns raised in forums convened by the Australian Law Reform Commission. Operational challenges include remote delivery logistics affecting communities in regions represented by the Torres Strait Regional Authority, language tenure issues connected to native title processes overseen by the Federal Court of Australia, and debates about prioritisation between documentation and intergenerational transmission as discussed at conferences such as the Linguistic Society of Australia annual meeting.