Last week, the National Indigenous Languages Report was published. The National Indigenous Languages Report is a collaboration between the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), and the Australian National University. CAEPR researchers Yonatan Dinku, Francis Markham, Tony Dreise and Janet Hunt were among the team who contributed to the report, along with colleagues from the ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics.

The Report strengthens the evidence base regarding the use, importance, and state of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. It identifies the strengths and speaker numbers of Australia's Indigenous languages, as well as the many economic and social benefits gained through the recognition, use and reawakening of those languages. The Report provides guidance on practical ways to use its findings to inform policy, program development and service delivery for First Peoples.

CAEPR Working Paper no. 137, titled Language use is connected to indicators of wellbeing, provides some of the quantitative analysis supporting the report. It was released this week.