Languages

This guide mainly focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, views, and the journey of First Nations Australian languages since European colonisation. However, Language has been an important part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for thousands of years, and still is today.  

Hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have been spoken across Australia for tens of thousands of years, reflecting the rich oral storytelling and knowledge-sharing traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across generations. Studies show that there were at least 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages at the time of European arrival. These are distinct languages (not dialects – the number of dialects is much greater), each with its own extensive vocabulary and complex grammar. It was common for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia to grow up speaking multiple First Nations languages (which is still the case in parts of Australia). This linguistic diversity reflects the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and identities more generally.  

As expressed above through the words of Arrernte woman Amelia Turner, Language is not just a tool for communication, it has a vital and intricate interrelationship with Country, culture and kinship/community identities. Maintaining and re-establishing connection to Language is crucial for the wellbeing, strength, knowledge and identity of First Nations peoples. 

Some examples of First Nations Australian Language use and expression includes: 

• Songlines (for navigation) 

• Dreaming stories 

• Oral storytelling 

• Song / music 

• Dance / performing arts 

• Symbols or visual arts 
   

Unfortunately, colonisation and past policies of assimilation – including systemic condemnation of First Languages use and forced separation of children from their families and language communities –have left First Nations languages in a critical state.  

However across Australia communities are actively and effectively working to revive, revitalise and maintain First Languages. In the 2014 National Indigenous Languages Survey report it was found that 13 traditional languages are considered strong and are being acquired by children as a first language in the community. There are also growing examples of verbal and non-verbal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages – such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sign languages, Aboriginal English known as Kriol, and the symbolic languages of the visual and performing arts.  

Many diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language resources and case studies are showcased in this guide. 

These are some of the key dates in recent history for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, including some dates that bring Language and reconciliation together. 

60,000+ years ago: 

• Over 250 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are spoken across Australia. First Nations peoples shared and spoke multiple languages based off family connections. 

1788: 

• European colonisation and the subsequent introduction of the English language. First Nations languages are threatened by colonial efforts to extinguish Language through missions and forced removal.  

1960s 

• Bilingual education programs are established in certain South Australian schools. As part of these programs, classes are taught in English and First Nations languages. 

1974: 

• Bilingual education programs are established in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. 

1975: 

• The Racial Discrimination Act (1975) is introduced. Section 3 (1) includes a specific statement about the importance to ‘promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.’  

1983: 

• The Warumpi Band’s song ‘Jailanguru pakarnu’ (‘Out from jail’) is the first rock song recorded and released in an Aboriginal language (Luritja).  

1984: 

• The first Aboriginal language centre is established in Australia - the Kimberley Language Resource Centre (KLRC) of Halls Creek. It is the peak body for language revitalization, preservation and revival for languages in the Kimberley. 

1987:  

• The ‘National Policy on Languages’ is released by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. It strongly endorsed bilingual education and called for greater awareness for the value and endangered state of First Nations languages. 

• Papulu Apparr-Kari Aboriginal Corporation (Home or House of Language) was established. The corporation services the biggest area covered by a language centre in the Northern Territory. 

1988: 

• Pundulmurra College in the Pilbara of Western Australia begins delivering a language workers training course for First Nations peoples working, or looking to teach Language.  

1991:  

• The Department of Employment, Education and Training release Australia’s Language: The Australian Language and Literacy Policy. This policy announces that the Commonwealth will provide over $1.7 million in funding to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Initiatives Programme (ATSILIP). 

• Federation of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Languages & Culture (Corporation) is established in response to the Australia Language and Literacy Policy. It becomes the national body for community based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language programs in Australia. 
   

1992: 

• ‘Treaty’, by Yothu Yindi, is the first song in an Aboriginal language (Gumatj) to gain extensive radio airplay in Australia. Written by Yothu Yindi band members in collaboration with Paul Kelly and Peter Garrett, the song is a massive global hit. 

• The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs releases its ‘Language and culture: A matter of survival – Report of the inquiry into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language maintenance’. 
   

1993:  

• Aboriginal language courses are rolled out in 15 schools in the Kimberly, Pilbara, Murchison and South West of Western Australia.  

1994:  

• Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL) is established as the peak body for Aboriginal Languages revitalization in the state of Victoria. 

• For the first time First Nations Languages are taught (and accredited) at senior secondary level in schools across South Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory. This is part of the Australian Indigenous Languages (AIL) framework and lay the foundation for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages across Australia. 

1996: 

• The National Board of Employment, Education and Training release a major report, ‘The Land Still Speaks: Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language Maintenance and Development Needs and Activities’. It reviews First Nations language revitalization projects across Australia and internationally and stresses that all such projects must be done collaboratively with Traditional Owners and First Nations language speakers.   

1997:  

• The ‘Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families’ recommends the Commonwealth increases funding for Language centres to cover language maintenance, teaching and recording nationally and regionally (Recommendation 12). 
   

1998: 

• NSW Board of Studies releases the Aboriginal Languages Interim Framework K-10, which provides guidelines for implementing First Nations Language programs in schools and communities. 

1999:  

The Ngukurr Language Centre is established in 1999. It is a branch of the Katherine Regional Aboriginal Language Centre (KRALC). 

2001:  

• Environment Australia releases a report called ‘State of Indigenous Languages in Australia’, which documents the state of First Nations languages and strategies to help maintain the Languages. 

2002: 

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander placenames become a national priority. VACL commissions the creation of a Database and Dictionary of Aboriginal Placenames of Victoria, and parts of Sydney Harbor are allocated dual names.  

• Miromaa Aboriginal Language & Technology Centre (MALTC) is established with the aim of reviving Awabakal language and culture in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Lower Hunter Valley.  

2003:  

• The Aboriginal Languages Research and Resource Centre (The Language Centre) is established by the NSW government. The purpose of the centre is to support communities to revitalise, maintain and teach Aboriginal Languages in NSW.  

• The Aboriginal Languages Syllabus is developed by the NSW Department of Education. The syllabus is to be used across all learning areas. 

2004:  

• A new course is released and taught in Year 11 and 12 in Victorian schools called the ‘Indigenous Languages of Victoria: Revival and Reclamation Victorian Certificate of Education. 

• Living Languages’ (then called Resource Network for Linguistic Diversity Inc) is established as an online hub for sharing language revitalisation projects across the country. It has now switched focus to facilitate community-led training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to build and deliver their own language projects.  

2005: 

• AIATSIS conducts and releases a ‘National Indigenous Languages Survey Report’. The report calls for urgent action to revitalise and maintain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia.   

• Language centre and workers in Queensland form the Queensland Indigenous Languages Advisory Committee (QILAC), a state body to advocate for Queensland’s first languages. 

2006: 

• There is a national audit of languages programs delivered in schools across Australia called the ‘School Indigenous Languages Programmes in Australian Schools – A Way Forward’. State and Territory governments responded with their own reports, guides and syllabuses: 

• The NSW Department of Education releases ‘The Aboriginal Languages Guidelines and Applications’. 

• The Queensland Department of Education and the Arts releases ‘Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Schools’.  

• The Western Australian Curriculum Council publishes an outline for a new syllabus for Year 11 called  ‘Aboriginal Languages of Western Australia’. This course is to be delivered in 2008. 

2007: 

• The first Puliima National Indigenous Language & Technology Forum is held in Newcastle. It has since become a biennial event aimed at bringing together people from across Australia and internationally to explore projects, ideas, products and equipment that can be used in community-based Indigenous languages projects. 

2009: 

• The Australian Government signs the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which includes a number of articles specifically about languages. For example, Article 14 (1) states that ‘Indigenous peoples have the right to … providing education in their own languages.’ 

• The Commonwealth Government releases the first national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages policy, ‘Indigenous languages – a national approach’. 

2010: 

• A grammar and dictionary of Gathang: the language of the Birrbay, Guringay and Warrimay is published and accompanied by community classes in Taree, Forster and Port Macquarie. 

2012: 

• The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs releases its landmark Our land our languages report. The report highlights the importance of language revival, revitalisation and maintenance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  

•  VACL releases a Schools Digital Resources Project, using digital technology with schools to revitalise languages. The resources developed in the project include: 

• Six digital storybook apps in Gunditjmara languages. 

• Six interactive digital storybooks in Gunnai/Kurnai Language and accompanying teacher resources. 

• Three digital storybook apps in Woi-wurrung and accompanying teacher resources. 

2014: 

• In Australia and internationally, individuals and communities take part in the Indigenous Language Challenge, which involves sharing videos that celebrate their First Language, and inspire others to do the same.  

• First Languages Australia and the ABC launch the Mother Tongue Project which is part of a national media strategy to promote interest and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages to all Australians. 

• The Western and Northern Aboriginal Languages Alliance (WANALA) is established, managed by the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education through the Centre for Australian Languages and Linguistics. 

2015: 

• ACARA releases the National Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages, the first national curriculum document, covering up to Year 10. It provides support for all schools in Australia to teach and learn Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.  

• Pama Language Centre is established to revitalise, revive and record languages in the Cape York Peninsula. 

2016: 

• The first Australian Aboriginal language video game, Tjinari, is developed. 

• First Languages Australia releases Gambay, the first Australian map showcasing First Nations languages led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It showcases over 780 traditional languages. 

• Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull commences his annual ‘Closing the Gap speech’ by addressing Parliament in the Ngunnawal language of the Canberra area. It is met with a mixed response. 

• New South Wales Cabinet gives approval to consult on draft legislation to recognise and protect NSW Aboriginal languages, making it the first state in Australia with legislation to recognise the importance of Aboriginal languages. 

2017: 

• Baker Boy (Danzal Baker) releases ‘Cloud 9’, the first original rap to be recorded in an Aboriginal Yolŋu Matha language. 

• ‘Our languages matter’ is selected and celebrated as the 2017 NAIDOC Week theme. 

• ‘Aboriginal Languages Legislation’ is introduced to the New South Wales Parliament (see Aboriginal Languages Act 2017 No. 51). 

• Pama Languages Press is launched, it is a First Nations languages publishing company. 

2018: 

• The Red Room – Poetry in First Languages Project is launched by Gunai poet Kirli Saunders and Red Room Poetry. The project is a First Nations-led student poetry programs teaching Language on Country through poetry, music, dance and art across NSW.   

• A pilot of the Certificate III in Learning an Endangered Aboriginal Language is delivered in Victoria to a cohort of 19. The program empowers students to build up knowledge of their own traditional languages by engaging with their community.  

2019: 

• The United Nations declare 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages. 

• First Languages Australia and the Australian Government publish an updated version of ‘Nintiringanyi: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language and employment strategy’. It was first published in 2018, following the National Indigenous Languages Teaching and Employment Forum in 2016. 

• The United Nations General proclaims 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. 

• The Yield is released by Wiradjuri author Tara June Winch. This novel incorporates Wiradjuri language throughout, including a Wiradjuri dictionary. 

• The Online Language Learning Portal is released by Mobile Language Team in South Australia. This digital platform incorporates language lessons, videos, and other learning resources for first languages across South Australia. 

• The Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Forum is held in Cairns. The forum provides the opportunity for language workers across Queensland to come together and share knowledge. 

2021:  

• Director Kaarljilba Kaardn dubs the film Fist of Fury in Noongar Daa, an Aboriginal language from southwest Western Australia.  

2022: 

• This marks the first year of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. The decade is intended to encourage international action for the preservation, revitalisation and promotion of First Nations languages around the world. 

• First Languages Australia launches Gakal, a registry of people engaged in First Nations Language work 

• The First Languages Youth Forum is held in Adelaide. The forum brought together more than 80 young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language workers to celebrate the work of young language activists and workers and share knowledge.