In 2008, the Faculty of Arts at The University of Melbourne embarked upon a major overhaul of curriculum in nine languages: Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese in the Asia Institute; and French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish in the School of Languages and Linguistics. This article details the changes to the beginners' Italian…

Until recently Chinese language learning in Australian primary and junior secondary schools has been characterised by programs primarily designed for second language learners who have had no prior knowledge of or exposure to Chinese language. Participation in such programs by Australian-born children who speak Putonghua (Mandarin) or another…

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has been developing language-specific curricula for a range of languages in the "Australian Curriculum: Language"s and has also undertaken development of a "Framework for Australian Languages", to provide guidance for the development of curricula for specific…

The place of languages other than English in schools remains controversial in Australia. Data discussed show that language education is still struggling to establish its place in the curriculum even though policy developments have recognized the importance of language learning and improved proficiency outcomes. (Author/VWL)

Considers the future challenges for languages in Australia. Discusses the place of language in policy, the place of languages in the curriculum, the role of professional associations, and redeveloping a constituency for languages. (Author/VWL)