Dear Cumerland,

Rubbish.

You raised a specific point which I replied to with an admittedly partially rhetorical question but one that was quite open to you to reply to. Instead you have obfuscated with a general remark about public monies going to education, one that is utterly dystopia of course, but used in this instance to avoid the point.

Let's try this then. Do you think the classical languages are worth saving or not?

>Do you think the classical languages are worth saving or not?

I'm in favour of anyone saving whatever languages they want, provided its to their own cost and benefit.

I study Latin on my own coin because there are many benefits to learning Latin that do not justify me expending the same costs on learning Gaelic or Balinese or Pitjanjajara, or Aranda, or Gamilroi.

You are avoiding the point with your dystopian rubbish. You're trying to obfuscate - (Wheee! This leftist argumentation style is easy!) - I say you are trying to obfuscate the issue which is whether indigenous or classical languages are worth saving, NOT whether it should be funded by government.

It is not for me to just obediently swallow your smuggled-in premise. You need to give reasons for it, not just personal abuse.

If you're saying that governments should not be funding the teaching of Latin by private schools, you're saying governments are not competent to decide whether it's worth saving at that cost.

If you're saying that governments should be funding it, you're begging the question, in your reasonless presumption that other people should be forced to fund your mere opinion.

And you're studying Pitjanjajara are you?

"I'm in favour of anyone saving whatever languages they want, provided its to their own cost and benefit."

I'm willing to allow the government to throw a little bit of money at it, as it has to do with the culture and history of our nation, which should be documented or preserved if it can be.

But I'm not going to give support to a plan that has yet to be formulated, and a subsequent blank cheque to bureaucrats etc. afterwards.

Fine print.
1 How will you 'save' these languages, what outcome precisely do you hope to achieve?
2. What is the plan for achieving this outcome, is it a fair and reasonable plan?
3. What is the estimated cost of implementing this plan, and achieving the intended outcome/s?

Come back to me when you have this info, alternatively, if you don't want to provide the info, then don't bother coming to me or expecting any kind of decision until I have the requested details.

Hi AC,

Australia has just done $2 billion as our part in dispatching Queenie. As for $25 mill for a flag, that's small beer for government, they'd spend that on drinkies at Parliament House on a Friday afternoon.

shadowminister,

You're right.

Of course none of us have to worry about a village
idiot when you're here.

Language is essential to the experience of culture
as a means of communicating values and beliefs and
customs. Language has an important function and
fosters feelings of group identity and solidarity.
This is so for people everywhere.

As languages disappear, cultures die. The world becomes
a less interesting place. But more importantly, we also
sacrifice raw knowledge and the intellectual achievements
of millennia.

It is our loss.