International Mother Language Day

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. M. El Dannawi:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that International Mother Language Day is celebrated annually on 21 February.

2. Notes that International Mother Language Day aims to:

(a) celebrate linguistic diversity;

(b) promote the protection of linguistic rights as fundamental/universal human rights;

(c) emphasise the importance of multilingualism; and

(d) bring awareness to languages at risk of disappearance.

3. Recognises that language is an essential part of cultural identity, expression and wellbeing in a multicultural society.

4. Understands that language maintenance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a platform for empowerment and intergenerational cultural sharing.

5. Expresses its commitment to encourage multilingual education in South Australia, particularly through the state government's $4 million commitment to community language schools, as a means of enriching our society and inspiring understanding, belonging and dialogue as well as socioeconomic mobility.

(Continued from 19 February 2025.)

The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON (17:07): I rise today to support the Hon. Mira El Dannawi's motion to recognise the importance of International Mother Language Day and its role in celebrating linguistic diversity, and indicate that I will be the lead speaker on behalf of the opposition.

Language is more than just a means of communication; it is the foundation of cultural identity, expression and belonging. It shapes the way we understand the world, connect with our communities, and preserve traditions. In many languages there is not necessarily a direct translation from one language to another, and often there may be many cultural nuances and hidden meanings within different phrases as well.

Each year, on 21 February, we acknowledge the significance of multiculturalism and the need to protect linguistic rights as fundamental human rights. In 2025, we marked the silver jubilee, celebrating 25 years of promoting linguistic diversity worldwide. In a multicultural society like South Australia, safeguarding languages strengthens our communities, fosters social cohesion and enriches our collective heritage.

Initiatives that protect cultural linguistic rights and promote the preservation of languages not only encourage inclusivity but also open the door for greater social and economic opportunities. Indeed, multiculturalism enhances educational outcomes, broadens career prospects and builds bridges between cultures. Today, we celebrate and acknowledge, in the moving of the Hon. Mira El Dannawi's motion, cultural awareness, strengthening our multicultural society and building a culturally rich society for future generations to come.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:08): I rise today to fully support the Hon. Mira El Dannawi's motion to recognise International Mother Language Day and the importance of mother languages in our multicultural society. As a first-generation Australian with a rich multicultural background, I recognise first hand the value of language in shaping the cultural identity, expression and wellbeing of our diverse multicultural community.

Looking across the chamber of the upper house of this parliament, it is wonderful to acknowledge there are a number of members of parliament here who can speak other languages in addition to English. I recall in 2010, when I was first elected, I believe the Hon. Carmel Zollo and I were the only two MLCs who communicated frequently with our family and friends in a language other than English.

After that, when the Hon. Tung Ngo was elected in 2014, he added the Vietnamese language to the mix. Then in 2018, the Hon. Frank Pangallo, the Hon. Connie Bonaros and the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos were elected, adding the Italian and Greek languages to the benches. Later on in 2023, we welcomed the Hon. Mira El Dannawi, who replaced the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos upon her retirement.

I understand that there are other members in this chamber who may know other languages but not use those languages on a daily basis. I am sure they are just as proud as I am of the way that we recognise the value of cultural diversity and the richness that every language brings to our vibrant, multicultural state of South Australia.

International Mother Language Day has been celebrated each year on 21 February since it was first proclaimed by UNESCO and later adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1999. This year marked the 25th anniversary of International Mother Language Day with the theme, the silver jubilee celebration, marking a quarter of a century of efforts to protect linguistic diversity.

With approximately 8,324 languages in the world today, many are at risk of disappearing due to globalisation and societal changes. Out of this, around 7,000 languages are still in use while only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain. Less than 100 are used in the digital world. Globally, 40 per cent of the population have access to education in the language they speak or understand.

While progress is being made in multilingual education, this figure shows the obstacles that we still face globally in preserving languages, and this makes us ask the important question of how we can do better to achieve equitable access to education and lifelong learning opportunities for all individuals. Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages, which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way. When languages fade, so does the world's rich tapestry of cultural diversity, including traditions, memories and unique modes of thinking and expression.

South Australia has been for a long time a state which actively promotes and supports linguistic diversity. From the previous Census data, 19 per cent of South Australian households and over 320,000 people spoke a language other than English at home, a figure which grows each year. Of these languages, Mandarin, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese and Punjabi ranked as the most spoken non-English languages in South Australia. Encouragingly, the number of speakers of Australian Indigenous languages grew by over 30 per cent from 2016 to 2022, making it one of the fastest growing languages spoken in South Australia. Other fast-growing languages include Urdu, Sinhalese, Hindi and other South Asian and South-East Asian languages.

Taking strong leadership to preserve languages in our multilingual state are community language schools, represented by Community Language Schools SA (CLSSA). CLSSA currently represents 10,400 students across 93 schools which teach 48 different languages. CLSSA also works with 1,500 volunteers who work relentlessly, passionately and diligently after hours and on weekends to support language classes. I know many of them through my representation in multicultural communities. Many of them have become really close friends. I really cherish their work and I want to commend them for their fantastic efforts.

I once again want to acknowledge the mover for bringing this particular motion about International Mother Language Day to parliament today. With those remarks, I commend the motion.

The Hon. C. BONAROS (17:14): I rise briefly to echo the sentiments of other honourable members in this place and to commend the Hon. Ms El Dannawi for bringing this motion before this place insofar as it celebrates linguistic diversity; multiculturalism (the melting pot that Australia is); the importance of cultural identity, expression and wellbeing in a multicultural society like Australia and South Australia; and also the importance it plays in relation to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in terms of that platform for empowerment and intergenerational cultural sharing. I also commend the government more broadly in terms of its investment in multilingual education in South Australia.

I think the Hon. Jing Lee has put it very succinctly today. I know that for many of us in this place, me included, being from a multicultural background is not just about knowing a second language; it is part of who we are, it is part of our identity, it is part of our tradition and it is part of our heritage, and they all go hand in hand. You cannot really separate one from the other.

I am sure that when I was five or six or 10 years old I probably did not share that sentiment when my mum and dad sent me off to Greek school on Thursday after school or Saturday mornings, but my word am I grateful today that they did, and so many from my generation would be equally as pleased that their parents did that. Even though we spoke Greek at home—Greek and English—it ensured that we had a really firm grasp of our native tongue.

There are scores of kids here my age and older as well as kids today who would have turned up to their first day of school not knowing a word of English. I was pleased to see a report just recently saying that that is not a setback for kids; it is something that actually proves beneficial to them as they make their way through the education system. We are not just talking about kids who are born overseas. We are talking about kids who were born here and who attended their first day at reception knowing their name and not much more in English because the language spoken at home was not English.

I have to share, though, my absolute fondest memory, and that is really why I got up to speak today—because the honourable member's motion reminded me of my mum and her learning of the English language. She came here to this country not knowing a word of English, but she was already well into her teens, and I always marvel at everything she managed to achieve in this country. My dad was a lot younger, so I always say he had a head start.

My fondest memory has to be going home in those formative years of my education, along with my sister before me, who is a lot older than me, knowing that my mum learnt English through us, because when we read those readers she read them too. So that is actually how she first got a grasp of the English language. It was a give and take on both sides. We were benefiting so much from having our native tongue, our heritage—

The Hon. J.S. Lee: Mother tongue.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: Mother tongue, that is the word I am looking for—but at the same time our learning at school was also enriching the lives of mums like mine who were finally getting a grasp of the English language in a country they chose to call home, in my mum's case right here in South Australia.

I think this is something that needs to be celebrated amongst all of us. It is as applicable today as it was when I was a child or, indeed, when my mum first arrived in Australia . Once again, I commend the honourable member for acknowledging this important day and the importance it continues to have in what I call this melting pot of multiculturalism that we have in Australia.

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (17:19): I want to thank the honourable members for their valuable contributions to the debate: the Hon. Jing Lee, the Hon. Laura Henderson and the Hon. Connie Bonaros, and for sharing their personal experiences as well. It was not that long ago that I was a new migrant who had to learn to speak English to communicate at work and in my personal and social life. I highly value that experience that our migrant communities experience in the first few years of their settlement.

I also want to acknowledge the many past and current members of this place who speak another language, those who do not practice it perhaps every day but have a background or connection to another homeland and those who continue to advocate to maintain the mother language as well.

As a multicultural society we cannot talk about culture without talking about language and language preservation. It is an essential part of our cultural identity and our wellbeing as individuals, as a community and as a society. Promoting the protection of our linguistic right is a fundamental human right but also is very fundamental to our healthy multicultural society. I commend the motion.

Motion carried.