While Australian policy supports cultural diversity and promotes language instruction, public attitudes and the resources available for language education are not favorable. The lack of progress may be attributed in part to the nature of decision-making processes, resulting in unbalanced and ill-conceived policy. National language policy-making proposes a theory about the nature of society's language needs at the societal, group, or individual level, and how to meet those needs. Australian language policy has been more influenced by political and economic factors than by actual needs. The most fundamental reason for language learning is the mind-broadening effect of cultural exposure, followed by general educational enrichment, development of cross-cultural communication and cooperation, and economic development. Instruction in Italian is justified for the same reasons that any other language might be taught, and also because it is a major community language, a major world language, the language of a major trading partner, a language of great cultural significance, and one of the languages of the western civilization to which Australia owes much of its cultural, political, and social origins. (MSE)