The document discusses multilingualism in Australia. It defines multilingualism and outlines cognitive benefits, such as higher cognitive abilities in multilingual individuals. Socially, multilingualism provides benefits like improved communication and cultural understanding. However, Australia has taken a step back from multilingualism, focusing more on assimilation than language diversity. While over 250 Indigenous languages existed at first contact, now only a small percentage survive. The document calls for solutions like immersion schools and better language education to embrace multilingualism in Australia.