Australia is losing the deep knowledge, language skills and cultural understanding needed to engage effectively with Asia, the Australian Academy of the Humanities has warned.
In its submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Building Asia Capability in Australia, the Academy calls for urgent, coordinated national action to reverse a decades-long decline in Asia-focused education, research and expertise.
Professor Stephen Garton AM FAHA, President of the Academy, said:
“Australia is losing its Asia capability — and with it, a crucial part of our national advantage. For decades, Australians built a world-leading capacity to understand, speak and work with our neighbours. That foundation has been eroding for decades. Without coordinated, long-term investment in language learning, cultural understanding and regionally literate research, we risk becoming strangers in our own region.”
The Academy’s submission calls for the Government to:
- Commission a bipartisan National Asia Capability Strategy, reinforced by an annual statement to Parliament;
- Establish a List of Critical Asia Capabilities in the National Interest, modelled on the Critical Technologies list;
- Task the new Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) with monitoring Asia capability and hosting an annual national forum;
- Extend the New Colombo Plan to support advanced and postgraduate study in Asia; and
- Work with Jobs and Skills Australia to embed Asia literacy and capability into the National Skills Taxonomy, ensuring these competencies are recognised and prioritised across education and workforce systems.
Professor Garton said the decline in Asian languages and cultural studies was a warning sign of national complacency.
“Rebuilding Asia capability must be seen as a matter of national interest. Deep understanding of our region is essential to Australia’s prosperity, security and international standing.”
The Academy’s submission draws on its landmark studies Australia’s China Knowledge Capability (2023) and Mapping Australia’s Indonesia Research Capacity (2024, with ACOLA), which show sharp declines in domestic student enrolments, research funding and institutional capacity across universities.
