Language Courses Under Threat @ Victoria University

Ms HARTLAND (Western Metropolitan) -- Students at Victoria University (VU) are extremely concerned about the possibility of languages other than English, particularly Chinese, being withdrawn from courses offered by the university. As a culturally and linguistically diverse community, it is important that the option of learning the languages of our neighbours is available at local tertiary institutions. The Victoria University Chinese program has a good reputation, and the suggestion that students can continue their language studies at Melbourne University will only result in inconvenience. I understand that Spanish language students at the University of Melbourne now have to travel to La Trobe University in Bundoora to complete their studies -- a distance that would be even more difficult for students in the western suburbs.

The federal government is ploughing millions of dollars into an Asian language strategy and the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program. Its aim is to have one in eight Australian students exiting year 12 with an Asian language, and we should be preparing for an influx of students studying languages, not cutting local programs. First-year students, the pan-Asian students society, the Chinese community and concerned VU students are collecting signatures for a petition calling on the vice-chancellor of Victoria University to retain languages-other-than-English studies. I congratulate them on this work and hope the university listens.