Decrease in Asian language students

The number of students enrolling in Asian languages has been decreasing.

"The Federal Government needs to give encouragement to language training, either to ensure the costs of courses are subsidised so students have an incentive to do an Asian language, or that the costs of staff are subsidised," he said. While the internet has been a boon to English-speaking countries, it has not done away with the need to learn Asian languages, [former DFAT secretary Philip Flood] said. "Our children are going to live in a world in which China is a massively greater influence than it is now - commercially, politically and culturally - so Australia needs a lot more people with good skills in Chinese language and we just don't have it."