My thoughts

Australia's first language is Indigenous, Indigenous language, not English.Yalmay Yunupingu - Bilingual Teacher.

My name is Kaiyu Bayles and I am a younger generation Koori woman who is concerned for our land and people. Please find enclosed petitions to support the continuation of bi lingual education and to implement policy to save the language loss in our country. It is estimated that only 17 languages being used are safe out of the 250 different languages originally spoken. Please read the 2nd petition.

Information, in the hands of the right person who actually puts it to use, is worth 100 times
- times - more.

Gough Whitlam introduced bilingual education into Northern Territory schools in December 1972.

KIM BEAZLEY SNR - Former Federal Education Minister (1999): It was universal experience around the world that if you established literacy in the mother tongue, the language of the heart, it was easier to switch to a second language, in this case English.

Yalmay Yunupingu has been on the front line of the bilingual cause, as a teacher at Yirrkala for more than 30 years. She's won awards for bilingual teaching excellence and says she's going to keep teaching in Yolgnu matha despite the minister's decision.
DANIELL PARRY: The idea behind the program is that young children start their school education using the language they speak at home. As their learning improves in their own language, more english is gradually introduced into the classroom. International studies have shown it works, but the Territory government says it's failed here.

“Well, I already know that the children won’t understand what I’m saying, they will laugh at me, and they may even misbehave because they’ll be bored and won’t know what the lessons are about. So perhaps I will cheat and use some Yolŋgu matha – what will happen then?” Yalmay Yunupingu

There is always a right solution, there has to be a more suitable option for teaching our children than this current western model. This model fails Indigenous people and non Indigenous people. Bi lingual learning on the other hand, is a model to be embraced, celebrated and distributed throughout Australia for all to benefit from.

Goori's my age (twenties) living in the city, allot of us cannot read, write or speak at a standard that we are comfortable or feel safe outside of our community, even me for example, yet. And I also believe that growth in this language (English) has to come naturally and through positive experience. Staying in high school almost caused the end of me and I was the only one in our group of cousins/friends to go to grade 12 at the time, in Brisbane. I was lost, none of my people around, racism, pressure and I couldn't even speak in my language or tell you my grandmother's tribe... But I was a great (confused) student, with good marks - felt like I had all this information shoved into me when none of the vital questions of who I was had been answered.

If we have good high schools and good tertiary settings (run by our people - for our people), I believe this is where the blossoming of the person happens. When we can grow up strong with what is most important first and ease on into what we feel closest to us, we may just stay with that. Before we allow changes to take most of the learning in language away to address shortfalls in Numeracy and literacy, we have to consider all that is listed on this petition at least. I for one recommend that a strong move be made to implement compulsory culture and local language be taught in Every school in Australia. We (Aboriginal People) have many models that work, the Western practices fail all at the best of times as can be seen all over history.

What jobs are there for us if we do not want to be apart of the system, but instead, use culture and education for the benefit of our community first? We need career paths more appropriate (full filling) for us, instead of trying to fit us (Aboriginal People) all into a western model of society. Education our way! Live our Way!