Asian language program to expire: Gillard

29 Oct 2012, 2:32 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Ms Gillard confirmed the government will not continue funding the National Asian Language Program, initiated by her predecessor Kevin Rudd. (AAP)

Ms Gillard confirmed the government will not continue funding the National Asian Language Program, initiated by her predecessor Kevin Rudd. (AAP)

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has confirmed the government will not continue funding the national Asian language program. 

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The federal government will let a $62 million Asian language program expire in December despite saying it wants four priority languages to be taught from primary school to high school.

"We are going to do something far broader and far more systematic than that," Prime Minister Julia Gillard told ABC radio on Monday, the day after she unveiled a white paper on the Asian Century.

The plan is for Asian studies to become a core part of the Australian school curriculum, with every student having an opportunity to study Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian or Japanese.

But a starting date is dependent on getting agreement from the states and territories on the Gonski education funding reforms.

Ms Gillard confirmed the government will not continue funding the National Asian Language Program, initiated by her predecessor Kevin Rudd.

"I think we can do a lot better," she said.

The prime minister also defended the government's unfunded commitment to goals in the white paper including opening new Australian consulates in Asia.

"I don't think anyone would doubt my determination to get things down," Ms Gillard said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop says the white paper is long on rhetoric and short on substance.

"It doesn't detail what Australia needs to do to reach these goals," she told ABC radio, adding it has no commitment to new funding.

"There's a yawning gap between the objectives and what the government is actually doing."

The coalition has promised that if elected it will fund a second-language program in schools and a re-run of the Colombo Plan that encourages two-way student exchanges in the region.

"That's one of the best investments we can make," Ms Bishop said.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne doubts the government's ability to fund its new commitment to Asian languages, given that $500 million has been cut from research programs at Australian universities.

"We've had virtually no progress on the implementation of Gonski education changes that would put money into public education across Australia," she told reporters in Canberra.

There had been promises dating back to the early 1990s that primary school children would know a second language by the time they left school.

"You have to invest in teachers if you are going to have students speaking languages," Senator Milne said.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon says the Asian Century white paper is a good initiative because it highlights the importance of Australia becoming a high-wage, high-productivity country.

"I think it is a very useful starting point for significant debate," he told reporters in Canberra.

Liberal senator Mitch Fifield said while the coalition cautiously welcomed the white paper, it doubted Labor's ability to implement its recommendations.

"Our concern is that this government makes grand announcements, big documents, but they are not good on the follow-through," he told Sky News, citing the Henry tax review, the Gonski report, and the defence white paper.

Labor MP Nick Champion said the paper was a long-term road map, not a budget proposal.

Putting everything into practice would take time, but it would happen, he said.

"If you look back in history, the Campbell inquiry into taxation which was done by John Howard wasn't fully implemented for about two decades," Mr Champion said.

The Campbell inquiry was actually into the Australian financial system.

It led to the floating of the Australian dollar, among other reforms.

Labor Senator Doug Cameron wants "a proper critical analysis" of the white paper that involves the caucus.

Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce said the need to teach school children a second language was stating "the bleeding obvious" but the funding was not there to do so.

He said the paper should also have addressed an inland rail link between Melbourne and Brisbane.

"A freight line ... to get some of this produce that Asia wants out of our grain belts, our coal belts," he told reporters.

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Your Comments

Why can't it be done?

J - from Perth, 7 months ago

There are plenty of children around the world who learn to speak 2 or more languages as well as finishing highschool with good grades in the compulsory subjects. Look at Singapore. Perhaps Chris thinks Aussie kids are too stupid or lazy in comparison?

Languages

Berengere - from Coogee, 7 months ago

Teaching of European languages is already down even though it doesn't require as much time as an Asian language to be learned! A change of mentalities will be require too: English might be a super power language but the whole world does not speak English... About the time to be found to teach an Asian language: how about adding an extra hour to the school hours? Finishing at 4 instead of 3 won't hurt anyone! You can't expect to learn a whole lot without actually spending time in the classroom..

Unfunded incompetence

Chris - from Adelaide, 7 months ago

Chinese and Japanese cannot be taught to any level of competence in less than ten hours a week...what's going to be cut from the curriculum? English? Science? (like the Indonesians) anything but the ALP approved version of history? Maths? (Won't matter if we can't add up. It will let them fool us about a surplus.) Let's get real! We don't have the time or resources to teach ALL children an Asian language - nor should we want to.

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