As the WAALLA campaign continues to advocate for the legislative recognition of Western Australia’s First Nations languages, it is essential to reflect on both the progress the Campaign has made and the commitments that shape the path forward.

The State Government intentions to place Aboriginal stories at the forefront of the upcoming 2029 Bicentennial celebrations; a significant moment marking 200 years since colonisation. Additionally, the recently released document Creative WA: A 10-Year Vision to Grow and Sustain Our Creative Ecosystem reaffirms the central role of Aboriginal culture, stories, and languages in the state’s cultural landscape.

Yet, despite these acknowledgements, there remains a critical gap—the very languages through which these stories are shared are neither formally recognised nor protected by the State. This disconnect highlights the urgent need for action.

If our languages aren’t recognised and protected, how can we truly honour the stories they carry?

The Creative WA: A 10-Year Vision speaks extensively to the prominence of Aboriginal stories and languages in shaping Western Australia’s cultural identity. It emphasises the importance of Aboriginal voices in creative industries, arts, and storytelling. Similarly, the plans for the 2029 Bicentennial celebrations commits to elevating Aboriginal stories as a core component of the state’s reflection and commemoration.

However, recognition without protection risks being symbolic rather than transformative. True recognition of Aboriginal stories requires the legislative acknowledgment of the languages that give them life. Our languages are not just tools of communication; they are vessels of culture, history, law, and identity. They hold knowledge systems that have been passed down through countless generations.

The WAALLA campaign seeks to bridge this gap. WAALLA calls on the State Government to move beyond symbolic gestures and to take meaningful steps toward the recognition of Aboriginal languages as the First Languages of Western Australia.

This recognition should be more than an acknowledgment; it must be embedded in policy, practice, and a legislative framework that ensure the survival and thriving of our languages.

The commitments in the Creative WA vision and the Bicentennial celebrations provide a unique opportunity to align words with action. We are not asking for new promises; we are asking for the fulfillment of existing ones.

If Aboriginal stories are to be central to our State’s cultural narrative, then the languages that carry those stories must be recognised, respected, and protected.

Thank you to all our allies who continue to support this critical work. Together, we can ensure that the stories of Western Australia’s First Nations peoples are not just heard but are spoken in the languages that have carried them for tens of thousands of years.