Experts cautiously welcome support for Aboriginal languages in NSW
The NSW government has launched what it says is a new ‘partnership’ approach to Aboriginal affairs. The policy has a big emphasis on the teaching of Aboriginal languages. Language experts are cautiously welcoming the plan, but they say they’re keen to see more details.
The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Victor Dominello, says that the plan provides a path for indigenous language learners to add to their skills from kindergarten right through to university.But some experts in the field aren’t so sure that the policy is a marked departure from the existing way successful language teaching programs are implemented in the state.They say the government’s report is more a statement of intention than a detailed plan about how to build on the existing successes of language learning in NSW.