Report – Government of Australia, 23 August 2023
Voices of country: Australia’s national action plan for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–2032
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to draw attention to the critical status of many Indigenous languages across the world and encourage action for their preservation, revitalisation and promotion.
This action plan provides a framework to guide Australia’s participation in the International Decade. Voices of Country is a call to action for all stakeholders.
Voices of Country is framed through five inter-connected themes:
- stop the loss
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are centre
- caring for Country
- intergenerational knowledge transfer
- truth telling and celebration.
Voices of Country builds on what has been achieved through the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place.
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Voices of Country – Australia’s Action Plan for the International Decade 2022–2032
“The International Decade of Indigenous Languages is creating opportunities to highlight the value of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The Directions Group are leveraging the international momentum to effect significant change that will strengthen our languages.” Annalee Little (Wakka Wakka), Directions Group Co-Chair
Guided by the Global Action Plan, Voices of Country – Australia’s Action Plan for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032, provides a framework to guide Australia’s participation in the International Decade. Voices of Country is a call to action for all stakeholders.
Voices of Country is guided by the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy Revive – a place for every story, a story for every place, which recognises and respects the critical place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories at the centre of Australia’s arts and culture (DITRDCA 2023).
Revive is structured around five pillars but places First Nations first. It recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture must be community-led, and aims to advance agency, and financial and creative control.
Voices of Country is also a priority action for the Australian Government under Target 16 of Australia’s National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The target is – by 2031, there is a sustained increase in number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken.
Voices of Country is framed through five inter-connected themes:
1. Stop the Loss
2. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities are Centre
3. Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer
4. Caring for Country, and
5. Truth-telling and Celebration.
These themes articulate Australia’s high-level strategic focus for the International Decade. The five themes are represented as a native wattle tree.
Each theme is supported by an aspirational vision.
The Directions Group has developed the themes and visions. Combined, they represent the priority areas through which Australia will support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to build the foundations for realising their aspirations for their languages.
Each theme includes case studies that were chosen by the Directions Group. These real-world examples demonstrate how the objectives of each theme might be realised. We thank the organisations and communities showcased in the case studies for their generosity in sharing their stories.
The guidance for stakeholders section provides community-led guidance, for a wide range of stakeholders, on the types of activities that the Directions Group and the Australian Government consider will have the most impact in stopping the loss of language; in placing communities at the centre of this; in establishing and supporting intergenerational knowledge transfer; in caring for Country; and in supporting languages and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through truth-telling and celebration.
Consistent with the Global Action Plan, the Australian Government will undertake and report on practical commitments that deliver progress against the framework set out in Voices of Country. The Australian Government will report against these commitments on an annual basis.
Read the full report here: https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2023-08/apo-nid324028.pdf
Editor’s note: See page 34 of the report for the Fanny Cochrane-Smith story.
