National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia

Objectives

The Commonwealth Government has three immediate objectives in the area of language policy and communication:

• English for all: this responsibility is shared with the States, which control the school and the technical and further education systems, with the higher education sector, and with employers whose responsibility for training is now better understood;

• A language other than English for all including the maintenance and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait island languages: in collaboration with the States the aim is that all children should enjoy the opportunity to acquire a second language, and that children whose first language is not English should be able to maintain and develop that language through the mainstream and ethnic schools systems; and

• Effective cross-cultural communication: in conjunction with State Governments and higher education institutions, the Commonwealth will seek to ensure that opportunities to develop cross-cultural understanding are integrated in the curricula of the primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors.

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