Community Languages Australia (short: CLA) has been actively involved in promoting discussion around national languages policy and the place of languages in education.
To facilitate national discussion, CLA introduced the concept of an Academic Forum some years ago. The Forum brings together academics and members of Departments from across Australia to assist CLA in developing better policies, research and providing input in policy discussions.
The face-to-face Forum held on International Mother Tongue Day took place in Melbourne in February 2020. It was opened by the Federal Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, who acknowledged the work community language schools do around Australia.
The Forum addressed several important issues on the day. Attached is a report on the day’s discussions.