Dear Community Language School Principals,
As Australia prepares for the 2026 Census, Community Languages Victoria encourages every community language school to play an active role in promoting participation in the 2026 Census. We ask you to encourage your teachers, volunteers, students and their families to complete the Census and to accurately record the language(s) they speak at home and their ancestry. This helps ensure that our language communities are recognised, represented and counted.
The Census is far more than a population count. It provides vital information that governments use to plan and fund essential services, including education, multicultural programs, health services, community infrastructure and language support initiatives.
Every Census response counts. When families accurately record the language(s) they speak at home, they help ensure that their community is recognised, represented and included in future government planning, funding and services.
By participating in the Census and accurately recording the language(s) spoken at home, families help to:
- Ensure their language community is accurately represented in national data.
- Strengthen the evidence supporting community language education and multilingual services.
- Assist governments in planning future funding, policies and programs that reflect Australia's linguistic diversity.
- Demonstrate the significant contribution that community language schools make in preserving languages and cultures across generations.
We ask every school to actively share this message with teachers, volunteers, students and families, and to encourage everyone in your school community to complete the Census. Every completed Census helps ensure our languages, cultures and communities are recognised and supported for future generations.
Together, we can ensure that every language community is counted, every voice is heard, and Australia's rich linguistic and cultural diversity is accurately reflected in the 2026 Census. Your support in encouraging participation will make a lasting difference for our sector and the communities we serve.
Thank you for your continued commitment to supporting community languages across Victoria.
Kind regards,
