The National Indigenous Languages Report is a key achievement through Australia's participation in the United Nation's 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages.

The artwork by Jordan Lovegrove, a Ngarrindjeri man, of Dreamtime Creative, portrays the vast diversity of different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and the National Indigenous Languages Report’s goal to maintain, preserve and celebrate the languages. The different patterned sections of leaves represent all the different languages and languages groups including sleeping and new languages. The tree provides a visual representation of the flow, connectivity and joy of the languages.

The National Indigenous Languages Report is a collaboration between the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), and the Australian National University.

The Report strengthens the evidence base regarding the use, importance, and state of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. It identifies the strengths and speaker numbers of Australia's Indigenous languages, as well as the many economic and social benefits gained through the recognition, use and reawakening of those languages.

The Report provides guidance on practical ways to use its findings to inform policy, program development and service delivery for Australia's First Peoples.

The National Indigenous Languages Report is a key achievement through Australia's participation in the United Nation’s 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages.

The authors of the National Indigenous Languages Report acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.

For more information

International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–32
Australian Government IY2019 Action Plan
Indigenous language centres
UNESCO IY2019 website

National Indigenous Languages Report document

Published

PDF: National Indigenous Languages Report (20MB refer to PDFs split into parts) (19.25 MB) PDF: 1—National Indigenous Languages Report—introduction (9.36 MB) PDF: 2—National Indigenous Languages Report—chapter 1—introduction (9.92 MB) PDF: 3—National Indigenous Languages Report—chapter 2—benefits from speaking language (10.07 MB) PDF: 4—National Indigenous Languages Report—chapter 3—the state of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages (8.78 MB) PDF: 5—National Indigenous Languages Report—chapter 4—what it means to maintain and bring back Indigenous languages (8.43 MB) PDF: 6—National Indigenous Languages Report—chapter 5—opportunities for improved services and programs (10.16 MB) PDF: 7—National Indigenous Languages Report—chapter 6—practical applications of these findings (11.59 MB) DOCX: National Indigenous Languages Report (4.24 MB)
The National Indigenous Languages Report is a key element of the Australian Government’s ongoing commitment to maintain, preserve and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The entire report in PDF format is very large (20MB) so we have split it up into seven sections which are smaller sizes of around 10MB. The Word document is smaller and in its entirety (around 5MB).