Identity and language survey launched

A new online survey is asking Indigenous Australians what languages they identify with.

6 February 2019

The Identity and language survey has been launched to coincide with the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages. We are encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to take part in the survey.

Former Chairman of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) Professor Mick Dodson once commented that previous surveys on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages painted a complex picture.

Across Australia people are identifying with, or speaking, different traditional languages to varying extents. Urbanisation has meant that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people no longer live in the heartlands of their ancestors.

The 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages will celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and raise awareness of the crucial role languages play in people's daily lives.