[Ngapartji Updates] Ngapartji Ngapartji release language policy paper

[Alex Kelly]

PRESS RELEASE JULY 29th 2008.


*Indigenous languages a key to delivering better health and education 
outcomes for indigenous Australians*


Since colonisation *Australia has suffered the greatest & most rapid 
loss of languages in the world*. Today, only 145 of 300 indigenous 
languages are still spoken in Australia, of these110 are critically 
endangered.

"Everyone needs to be able to understand and communicate with 
governments in their own language as well as in English if education and 
health programs and services are to be effective" said Alex Kelly, 
Creative Producer of Big hART's Ngapartji Ngapartji project.

Non-Indigenous educators, police, youth workers and medical workers are 
often hampered by not being trained in local languages or culturally 
appropriate modes of communication.

Successive governments have ignored indigenous cultural norms, knowledge 
and governance structures. Despite the millions of dollars being spent 
it is clear that the existing policies are not overcoming indigenous 
disadvantage at an acceptable rate.

"Closing the communications gap will help win the fight to close the 
health and education gap between indigenous and non-indigenous 
Australians" Kelly continued.

 "The National Apology to the Stolen Generation was an important first 
step in a long journey of healing that includes helping people revive 
and maintain languages and culture.

"A national languages policy should be geared towards addressing the 
displacement and loss of languages faced by Australia's indigenous 
people or this is the next thing we will be apologising for." Concluded 
Kelly.

Big hART's Ngapartji Ngapartji is a long-term intergenerational language 
and arts project based in the Central Desert.

*The team is today launching a paper on the need for a concerted federal 
focus on indigenous languages.*

The four page paper is available as a PDF to download via the website 
http://www.ngapartji.org/content/view/19/79/

*For more information or a copy of the paper contact Alex Kelly, 
Creative Producer 0422777590, alex at ngapartji.org*
-- 

Alex Kelly

Creative Producer

Ngapartji Ngapartji

http://bighart.org

http://ngapartji.org

-- 

Alex Kelly

Creative Producer

Ngapartji Ngapartji

http://bighart.org

http://ngapartji.org

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