Professor Proposes Hubs To Save Indonesian Expertise

Australia’s Indonesian Language Expertise Faces Extinction by 2031

Australia is confronting a quiet but profound collapse in its ability to engage with its most critical regional neighbor. A report from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education has issued a stark warning: without immediate government intervention, the teaching of the Indonesian language will be functionally extinct in Australian universities by 2031. With barely 500 domestic students currently enrolled in the subject, the nation risks losing the linguistic and cultural literacy necessary to manage a relationship with the world’s fourth-most populous country.

The urgency of the situation was a focal point at the recent Asia Capability Forum in Sydney, where experts and officials debated a proposed “hubs and spokes” model to arrest the decline. Michele Ford, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Sydney, argued that the current trajectory is a result of market failure, as plunging student demand has rendered the subject a “loss-making game” for cash-strapped institutions.

Establishing a National Framework

Professor Ford proposed a targeted government investment of less than A$10 million (£5.2 million) annually to establish a national framework for Indonesian studies. Under this model, a single “hub” university in each Australian state would house a dedicated cadre of experts covering Indonesian language, politics, economics, and society. Students at “spoke” institutions—universities that no longer have the resources to maintain their own language departments—would access these lectures remotely. Local tutors would then facilitate in-person classes to maintain the social and collaborative benefits of classroom learning.

“Unless a university is wealthy, and increasingly universities are not, that is not sustainable. We need government intervention and we need it to be smart. Having a hub in each state would be fundamentally transformative. This is not much money for the government, and the payoff would be incredible,” Professor Ford told the forum.

The financial barrier is significant, as the few remaining programs are often sustained only by the dedication of academics who entered the field in the 1970s. As these experts retire, the institutional memory and capability they hold are not being replaced. The House of Representatives committee, chaired by Victorian MP Tim Watts, emphasized that the assumption that the Indonesian diaspora would naturally fill this expertise gap is likely flawed. Language skills in migrant communities frequently dissipate within two generations in Australia’s multicultural environment, leaving a long-term void in professional, diplomatic, and economic capacity.

Evaluating the Committee's Recommendations

The Australian Tertiary Education Commission (Atec) is now tasked with evaluating the committee’s recommendations. While the government has yet to provide a formal response to the report, Atec CEO David Turvey indicated that his agency is exploring collaborative delivery models for subjects struggling with low demand. Turvey noted that Atec plans to analyze how universities might pool resources without running afoul of competition laws.

Beyond new funding, the commission is considering a potential reorganization of the existing A$44 million Outreach Program. Traditionally, these funds have been allocated based on a university’s share of students from under-represented groups, but officials are now questioning whether the program could be more effectively targeted to support priority language capability. The economic stakes are high: Indonesia is currently the largest economy in Southeast Asia and remains the most popular overseas destination for Australian tourists, yet this popularity has failed to translate into academic interest among young Australians.

Indonesian ambassador Siswo Pramono expressed bewilderment at the disconnect, noting that Australia possesses the resources to master the language of its northern neighbor. “If you reach out to Indonesia, which is the largest economy in South-east Asia, then you get the benefit,” Pramono stated. “Tourists have interest, but the young people do not have that interest. It’s something that we need to resolve.”

The Strategic Implications

The committee’s report remains the most comprehensive assessment of this looming crisis. As Tim Watts noted during the forum, there are no quick fixes to a complex system problem that requires long-term investment in teacher capability and curriculum alignment between secondary and higher education. With the 2031 deadline looming, the debate over whether to subsidize these “hubs” will likely determine whether the next generation of Australian leaders can speak the language of its most important neighbor.