09/06/2023
Member for Keppel Brittany Lauga at the Darumbal land handover.
The intrinsic value of indigenous languages is recognised in the 2023 Indigenous Language Grants now available, Member for Keppel Brittany Lauga, said this week.
“The Queensland Police-Citizens Youth Welfare Association in Woorabinda last year received $20,000 for its Redbank Junior Ranger Program,” Ms Lauga said.
“This year the grants are for up to $10,000 and I’d encourage any indigenous communities in CQ to apply at Indigenous Languages Grants | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)
“Indigenous Languages Grants aim to increase the number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages spoken in Queensland in partnerships with Aboriginal peoples and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
“With very few fluent speakers remaining in some areas, many languages could easily be lost in the next few decades.
“Ensuring children learn Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages is an integral part of preservation— it forms a sense of continuity between the leaders of the past and the leaders of tomorrow, who will be responsible for carrying languages and culture forward into the future.”
Ms Lauga said it’s worth noting the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–32 highlights the importance of working to protect, revitalise, preserve and promote Indigenous languages around the world.