Language Council of Australia

Language Council of Australia
Name	Language Council of Australia
Formation	1990s
Type	Non-profit advisory body
Headquarters	Canberra
Region served	Australia
Leader title	Chair

Contents

Language Council of Australia The Language Council of Australia is an independent advisory body that has engaged with Australian linguistic planning and policy since the late 20th century. It has interacted with institutions such as the Australian Parliament, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, University of Sydney and Australian National University to influence debates on language use, multilingualism, and language preservation. The Council has convened conferences involving participants from UNESCO, AIATSIS, SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and professional groups like the Australian Linguistic Society.

History

The origins of the Council trace to community and academic initiatives in the 1980s and 1990s that involved actors such as Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke, Malcolm Fraser, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and proponents linked to the Australian Language and Literacy Policy. Early meetings featured representatives from University of Melbourne, Monash University, Griffith University, University of Queensland and organizations including National Aboriginal Conference, Refugee Council of Australia, Migration Council of Australia and Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria. Over time the Council engaged with inquiries led by panels such as those convened by the Productivity Commission, the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Standing Committee on Education and Employment and commissions influenced by figures associated with Paul Keating and John Howard. Key milestones included consultations related to initiatives by UNESCO and reports echoing findings from scholars at Australian National University, Macquarie University, University of Western Australia and international collaborators from University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Cambridge and University of California, Berkeley.

The Council provides policy advice, stakeholder forums and public submissions engaging with inquiries by bodies such as the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts, the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the Productivity Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission where language access and translation services are at issue. It organises conferences and symposia with partners like UNESCO, AIATSIS, SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), National Library of Australia and universities including Australian National University and University of Sydney. The Council has run outreach programs in collaboration with the Refugee Council of Australia, Migration Council of Australia, Ethnic Communities Council of NSW and state bodies such as Victorian Multicultural Commission and NSW Ministry for Multiculturalism.

Through submissions and position papers the Council has engaged with legislation and initiatives considered by the Australian Parliament, policy instruments developed by the Department of Education, directives from the Department of Home Affairs and standards referenced by agencies such as Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, National Native Title Tribunal and Attorney-General's Department. Advocacy efforts have intersected with campaigns led by UNESCO, Australian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Watch and academic networks including Lingua Franca Research Group and research centres at University of Melbourne and Monash University to promote multilingual education, language maintenance and rights for speakers of Kriol, Warlpiri, Yolŋu Matha and other Indigenous languages.

The Council has produced reports, discussion papers and submissions citing work from journals and publishers associated with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Australian Journal of Linguistics, TESOL Quarterly and research outputs from Australian National University, University of Sydney, Monash University and Macquarie University. Its bibliographies and commissioned studies have drawn on fieldwork traditions linked to AIATSIS, archival collections at the National Library of Australia and projects funded through the Australian Research Council and philanthropic partners including foundations akin to Myer Foundation and Trawalla Foundation.

The Council has partnered with community organisations such as the Refugee Council of Australia, Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia, Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria, Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, NSW Aboriginal Languages Trust, and educational providers like TAFE NSW, TAFE Queensland, Adult Migrant English Program and universities including University of Technology Sydney, RMIT University and Queensland University of Technology. Collaborative projects have included initiatives involving UNESCO, AIATSIS, SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), state libraries, and local councils such as City of Sydney to support language documentation, community education and public media campaigns.

Category:Language policy in Australia