More than three quarters of the population of Australia have English as their first language. The type of English spoken in Australia has more in common with the type of English spoken in the UK rather than that used in the US. The Australian accent is fairly strong and there are influences of cockney rhyming slang throughout the language.

English is the business language in Australia and it is rare that any other language would be used in the workplace. There are large numbers of Australian residents who do not have an English speaking background but in order to progress in the workplace, a good working knowledge of English is essential. It is estimated that almost 20% of people in Australia speak a language other than English on a daily basis.

Those who move to the country may find that they hear languages such as Chinese, Italian, Greek and various other European languages on a regular basis. This is a direct result of the high immigration that has taken place since the end of the Second World War. Expats from other parts of the world are now increasing in number so languages such as Arabic and Japanese will begin to increase in usage.

There are both television programmes and radio programmes offered in languages other than English. Radio Australia has a series of programmes which are broadcast around the Pacific region and are in languages other than English such as Vietnamese, French and Chinese. Television and radio programmes are broadcast on a local basis for the indigenous Australians and some of these are made using the minority languages.

The Australian cities are home to many good language schools and for those who need to acquire language skills there are both short and long courses available. Students can study full or part time in order to improve their English or learn another language. Some states offer skilled worker visas for qualified and experienced language teachers, so there are opportunities in this field.

Under certain circumstances when dealing with government departments you are entitled to an interpreter if you do not have a good command of English. In addition, there are some government departments which publish literature in languages other than English. The websites of the departments should have details of which services are available to non-English speakers.

When the Europeans first began arriving in large numbers in the 18th century there were approximately 250 languages being used by the indigenous tribes of Australia. The vast majority of these are no longer in use and there are many which are in danger of disappearing. There have been a number of programmes put in place by the authorities who are trying to preserve these languages for future generations and support those who want to maintain their traditions.

It is estimated that around 1/8th of aborigines use an indigenous language as their main language. These include Warlpiri, which is one of the languages used for broadcasts on aboriginal TV and radio stations. Some aboriginal communities have opted for bilingual education for their children in order to preserve these languages as much as possible. Studies have shown that the indigenous languages are surviving better in remote areas, and those aborigines that live closer to the towns and cities are less likely to speak an indigenous language.

Learning an aboriginal language is not easy as there are many English terms that have no equivalent in an indigenous form. There are also few written guidelines to aboriginal languages as these are traditionally oral languages, although several universities do offer courses.