Benefits of bilingualism

Australia's diverse population speaks over 300 languages - making it one of the most multilingual countries in the world.Yet experts warn we could face a crisis in foreign language education with a monocultural mindset of "English is enough".

Bilingual Speaker Source: Getty image

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) March 2016 data shows that 28 per cent of Australia's population was born overseas.

Yet young Australians are losing interest in learning a foreign language.

Year 12 language student numbers have dropped significantly from 40 per cent in the 1960s to just 12 per cent today.