Making the case for languages

Even when interpreters are present, it is often the case that the official representative corrects the interpretation if it is not strictly accurate, revealing a deeper knowledge of the English language than might otherwise appear.

However it would be foolishly complacent for Australia to believe that as nation we can rely indefinitely on this trend.

English is both a beautiful and a practical language that we all should master, but learning a second language would expose young people to new horizons.

It is vital to Australia's future trade and international relations interests to ensure that we maximise the ability of our people to converse in alternative languages.

For example, Indonesia is one of our closest neighbours, yet as I noted in a speech to the Australia Indonesia Association last year, a recent audit found that 99 per cent of high school students who study Indonesian have dropped it by their final year.

This is trend is matched at the tertiary level. According to reports, enrolments for Indonesian courses across the nation have plummeted by 30 per cent between 2002 and 2009.

I also note that a number of submissions to the Government's White Paper on Asia have added to the call for enhancement of language training.

Balai Bahasa Indonesia has noted that "in an Asia-centric world all Australians will need to have at least the level of knowledge of Asian countries that generations hitherto have had of European ones. Asian language competence at all levels, especially the advanced levels, also needs to be fostered."

Similar sentiments were expressed by Professor David Hill of Murdoch University in a recent report titled "Indonesian Language in Australian Universities".

Under the Howard Government, federal funding agreements were adopted to prevent Australian universities from arbitrarily closing down Indonesian language courses without the approval of the federal government.

As Minister for Education during 2006-2007, I recognised the strategic importance of building up our Indonesian language capacity to ensure that Australia's national interests would be advanced.

It is concerning that one of Julia Gillard's decisions as Education Minister in 2009 was to approve a request from Curtin University to abandon its Indonesian language program.