Community Languages Australia facilitates the activity of an Academic Forum. The forum brings together many of the experts in languages education from throughout Australia. The Forum is a strong sounding board for the AFESA /CLA Council.
They provide advice on many issues including professional development, training and the role and position of community languages schools in languages education in Australia.
Over the past years, CLA and the Forum have been focusing on promoting the need for a National Language Policy. The Forum met in December 2018 to discuss a strategy for moving this issue forward. Currently, a position paper is being prepared to be presented to the Federal Minister for Education and Shadow Minister for Education in the lead up to 2019 Federal Elections
In 2019 the Forum will be asked to address the issue of the possibility of having national accreditation processes for funding, minimum training and professional standards.
. The next Forum will be held in February/March 2019