Far more important for Australians to learn about Asian culture. English is the accepted international language of business and English should be the communication learning focus in Asia even if English was adapted and improved to include key Asian vocabulary. The only way Australians can learn a foreign language to a sufficient standard to be able to discuss business dealings is for Australians to travel and live in the Asian country for several years. This initiative to suddenly make Australians fluent in Mandarin, Indonesian, Japanese etc is a waste of resources unless the focus of any study is on Asian culture rather than Asian language. Asian language study at schools on the other hand, whilst it should be more accessible, it should not be mandatory.