The role of the national languages institute of Australia in the development and implementation of language policy in Australia

The establishment of a languages institute has long been seen as an important step in the development of Australian language policy. After the adoption of the National Policy Languages, renewed impetus for a languages institute gave rise to the establishment of the National Languages Institute of Australia, a languages institute with a broad charter and wide-ranging functions. This paper reviews the development of the structure of the NLIA and examines the role the institute has in language policy development and implementation in three main areas: research, policy advice and service provision.