Many people express surprise to learn that the household of Victoria’s first Governor, Charles La Trobe, was bilingual in French and English, and that almost all business transactions in Melbourne in the mid- late years of the nineteenth century could be carried out in German. Four French-English bilingual schools, as well as several German-English ones, operated in Victoria in the late 1800s; the first ethnic school was established in Mill Park in 1857 (Clyne 2005, pp. 1−2). Lo Bianco (2003c, p. 15), describing this period, notes that ‘broad toleration of language pluralism was common’.

The Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) National Statement sets out the following rationale:

Learning languages:

·      enriches our learners intellectually, educationally and culturally,

·      enables our learners to communicate across cultures,

·      contributes to social cohesiveness through better communication and understanding,

·      further develops the existing linguistic and cultural resources in our community,

·      contributes to our strategic, economic and international development, and

·      enhances employment and career prospects for the individual.