The ALTC has awarded funding to a project Leadership for future generations: a national network for university languages. The ALTC Project Information page states that the University of Melbourne will be lead institution. Monash University, RMIT University, The Australian National University and University of Wollongong are also partners and a reference group from all over Australia is listed at the new website of the National Network for University Languages.
A second meeting of Indonesian language teachers will be held in Brisbane on Saturday 26 Feb 10 am LOTE Library Montague Road, West End and the diehards and new enthusiasts will establish a Queensland Indonesian Language Teachers Association. Please contact Kerry O’Connor if interested: kocon4 at eq.edu.au
This follows the research project on Indonesian in Australian Universities and National Colloquium on Tertiary Indonesian convened on 9-11 February 2011 by Professor David Hill. His draft discussion paper is available online. Participants included Australian academics, teachers, DFAT and DEEWR representatives, Indonesian Embassy and Consulate officials, one state parliamentarian, business spokespersons, visitors from Germany, Japan and Indonesia, plus inspiring young Australian students of Indonesian working as volunteers at the Colloquium. Many of our long-term worries were aired, strategies considered and the closure of the ALTC lamented. The agreement to work on a National Indonesian Resources Bank was one positive outcome which may dovetail nicely with work of Education Services Australia’s National Digital Learning Resources Network. There are now three Balai Bahasa in WA, ACT and Victoria. A concerted promotion campaign to counter years of negative coverage of Indonesia would be helpful and discussions centred on reinvigorating the Australian Society of Indonesian Language Educators (ASILE) as an ongoing active promotional body, not just organiser of biennial conferences.
Australia Indonesian Business Council (AIBC) vice president Ross Taylor demonstrated the brilliant opportunities for Australians in so many fields of business, if only they will equip themselves with the knowledge to cope with the challenges and if Indonesia continues its recent record in reforming business practice and regulations.