French has been taught in Australia since the late nineteenth century, making it the first foreign language formally introduced into the national education system. This early adoption was closely tied to Australia’s British colonial heritage, as many settlers—particularly Scottish—had studied French in Britain and sought to continue the tradition in the colony. For decades, French occupied a privileged place in schools and universities, reflecting Australia’s cultural and political alignment with Europe and North America rather than with its immediate neighbours in Asia and the Pacific (Clyne, 2005; Ritchie, 2003).

Since the early 2000s, however, Australia has witnessed a gradual but notable shift in how the French language and Francophone cultures are positioned within national education. This shift reflects broader transformations in Australia’s foreign policy and strategic outlook, which increasingly emphasises the country’s Indo-Pacific identity (Medcalf, 2020). As geopolitical awareness of the Indo-Pacific has grown, so too has recognition of the Francophonie as a key cultural and diplomatic partner in the region.

This article explores how this new geopolitical awareness has impacted French Studies and argues that French is no longer to be taught solely as a European language of culture and diplomacy, but also as a language of the Indo-Pacific that includes both the Pacific Francophonie and the Francophonie in the Indian Ocean. Tracing the historical foundations of French in Australia, this article highlights recent initiatives undertaken by educators, institutions and policymakers to integrate the Indo-Pacific into teaching practices, with particular attention to mobility programs, and considers the pedagogical value of embedding Francophone perspectives from both the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Ultimately, it suggests that French can serve as a powerful vehicle for educating young Australians about the Indo-Pacific, provided that both Pacific and Indian Ocean Francophonie are adequately integrated into curricula and mobility programs. It also discusses challenges, notably the underrepresentation of the Indian Ocean Francophonie and identifies pathways for more balanced engagement.

The evolution of French Language Teaching in Australia

The teaching of French in Australia dates back to the 1880s, when it became the first foreign language formally taught in schools. A frequently cited anecdote recalls that the daughter of a Scottish governor in Port Jackson established the colony’s first school, where French was included in the curriculum. This was not surprising: for many Scottish settlers, French had long been part of their education in Britain, and they continued learning French as a natural extension of their European heritage.

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, French remained the dominant foreign language studied in schools and universities. Its privileged position derived not only from Britain’s long history with French but also from Australia’s strategic alignment with Great Britian, the United States and Western Europe (Anderson, 2014). The end of the Second World War and subsequent waves of immigration diversified Australian society. Migrant communities introduced a broader range of languages into schools, yet French remained the predominant language. In practice, French Studies curricula focused largely on metropolitan France and, later, on European Francophone countries and Canada. After the Second World War, African Francophone countries began to appear in textbooks, particularly in relation to decolonisation. However, little to no attention was paid to Francophonie of the Indo-Pacific.

From the late 1990s onwards, the Australian government began to recognise the importance of its geographical location. Policy reports stressed the need for a greater linguistic and cultural engagement with Asia, and successive education reforms place emphasis on learning Asian languages such as Japanese, Indonesian, and Chinese (Lo Bianco, 2009). This shift culminated in the 2014 National Australian Curriculum, which reflected increasingly regional priorities with three cross-curriculum priorities — Sustainability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, and Asia Engagement (ACARA, 2014). Since 2015 Japanese has become more prominent than French as the leading foreign language in secondary schools, a trend attributed to government initiatives promoting engagement with Asia (Scarino & Liddicoat, 2016).

More recently, however, the emergence of the Indo-Pacific as a key strategic framework, has brought new visibility to the Francophonie in the region. This strategic concept, emphasised in the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper (DAFT, 2017), integrates both the Pacific and the Indian Ocean as key areas of Australian engagement. Educational curricula have begun to reflect this shift, with the latest iterations of the national curriculum for French Studies acknowledging the relevance of the French Pacific, particularly in trade, education, research, and security (ACARA, 2022).

Nevertheless, engagement has been uneven. While the francophone Pacific has become more visible, the francophone Indian Ocean Rim, home to La Réunion, Mauritius, Madagascar, Mayotte, Seychelles, remains underrepresented from educational initiatives, despite its geopolitical importance.

Student Mobility and The New Colombo Plan

A landmark initiative that redefined Australia’s educational engagement with the Indo-Pacific is the New Colombo Plan (NCP), launched in 2014 by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Designed to foster “a generation of young Australians with deep knowledge of, and connections to, the Indo-Pacific” (DFAT, 2014), the NCP provides scholarships and mobility grants for undergraduate students to undertake study, language training, and internships in the region.

Initially limited to four pilot locations —Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and Hong Kong— the program soon expanded to nearly 40 eligible host locations, including New Caledonia, Vanuatu (2015), and French Polynesia (2016). French studies lecturers across Australia quickly recognised the opportunity to use the NCP as a vehicle for strengthening Indo-Pacific awareness. Universities such as James Cook University, the University of Queensland, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, the University of Wollongong, the University of Adelaide, Macquarie University, the University of Western Australia (UWA), and the University of Newcastle have all organised mobility programs in French-speaking Pacific territories.

These study tours vary in scope and focus. Many emphasise language learning, cultural immersion, and school observations, while others focus on pressing regional challenges such as climate change (James Cook University in Vanuatu) or public health (University of Wollongong in French Polynesia). Personal testimonies attest to the transformative nature of these experiences: for example, UWA’s 2019 and 2023 study tours to French Polynesia included buddy programs pairing Australian and Polynesian students, collaborative projects on Indigenous languages, and cultural immersion workshops. Students frequently describe these programs as “life-changing,” highlighting not only linguistic gains, but also long-lasting friendships and cross-cultural understanding.

Educational Innovations and Bilateral Cooperation in the Francophone Pacific

The consolidation of educational partnerships has been accompanied by significant institutional developments. The opening of the Australian Consulate-General in French Polynesia in 2021 marked a turning point in bilateral relations, establishing a permanent Australian diplomatic presence in French Polynesia and reinforcing the Pacific as a key arena of Franco-Australian cooperation.

Political leaders have explicitly acknowledged the value of French in Australian’s regional partnership. As Foreign Minister Penny Wong (2023) has remarked, Australia and France share a “strong, enduring and forward-looking partnership underpinned by our common values and interests in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Embedding these perspectives in French classes contributes not only to linguistic competence but also to global citizenship education, producing graduates capable of navigating complex regional dynamics. French education in Australia increasingly positions the language as a tool for fostering regional literacy. By engaging with Francophone Pacific cultures, students encounter issues central to Australia’s future, including climate change, identity, and cultural resilience (Firth, 2019).

Equally notable are the innovations in secondary education. In 2024, an “Australian Program” was established in several New Caledonian schools under the auspices of the Vice-Rectorat de Nouvelle-Calédonie. For the 2025 intake, Lycée Lapérouse and Lycée Dick Ukeiwë will open a Section Internationale Australienne (SIA), offering competitive entry to students wishing to pursue a bilingual, bicultural curriculum. Beyond New Caledonia, similar initiatives are emerging. Lycée français Jean-Marie Le Clézio in Port Vila (Vanuatu) launched a Baccalauréat Français International (BFI) in 2024, incorporating an “Australian English” stream and enrolling 28 students across Years 10 and 11. This program, already associated with high academic results globally, reinforces Port Vila’s role as a hub of Francophone-Australian cooperation. Discussions are underway for comparable exchanges in Wallis and Futuna.

School-level exchanges have also multiplied. While many high schools continue to organize study tours to France, others are increasingly looking to the Pacific as a more affordable and contextually relevant alternative. Partnerships such as those between Renmark High School (South Australia) and Noumea, or Kirrawee High School (New South Wales) and La Mennais in Tahiti, exemplify this trend.

In parallel, professional developments in New Caledonia for Australian teachers have been organised by the Federation of Associations of Teachers of French in Australia (FATFA). In 2023, a cohort of fifteen teachers participated in a two-week immersion program in New Caledonia, combining academic courses with school placements. Such initiatives strengthen intercultural competencies among educators and ensure that the knowledge gained can be reinvested in Australian classrooms.

The scope of French in the Indo-Pacific extends well beyond traditional education. In 2023, over 100 Australian soldiers undertook intensive “Français du Pacifique” classes at James Cook University in preparation for deployments in the region. This program included not only language training but also cultural modules introducing Kanak and Tahitian greetings, thereby equipping personnel with both linguistic and intercultural tools.

These developments demonstrate that French language education in Australia is shifting away from a Eurocentric model toward a regionalised approach. French is no longer only the language of Paris and Montréal but also that of Nouméa, Papeete, and Port Vila. Such initiatives encourage Australian students to perceive themselves as actors within an Indo-Pacific francophone sphere of exchange and cooperation.

Beyond the Pacific: The Indian Ocean Challenge

Despite these positive developments, one major gap remains: the relative invisibility of the francophone Indian Ocean in Australian curricula and mobility programs. Territories such as La Réunion, Mayotte, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles are central to the Indo-Pacific space, yet they appear marginal in educational policy.

The long-running exchange between La Réunion and Western Australia since 1995, organised by the associations Tang Koala and WALRSE, and involving around 50 students annually, shows the potential for durable partnerships. Each year, approximately fifty students participate in reciprocal three-week exchanges, creating enduring friendships and deepening mutual cultural knowledge. Such programs demonstrate the potential for French to serve as a bridge between young Australians and their regional neighbours in the Indian Ocean. Nevertheless, these remain exceptions rather than mainstream practice.

Since 2023, UWA’s Global Office has attempted to address this imbalance by offering targeted funding for student exchanges to Indian Ocean Rim locations, including La Réunion.

Expanding such initiatives would not only strengthen Australia’s educational landscape but also to align with broader strategic interests in the Indian Pacific Rim.

Conclusion

Education, particularly on a large scale through schools and universities, plays a pivotal role in fostering mutual understanding, dialogue, and preparing future generations for international collaboration. For Australia, the teaching of French has evolved from a tradition rooted in European references to a strategic tool for Indo-Pacific engagement. Through university programs, the New Colombo Plan, school-level partnerships and new institutional frameworks in the French Pacific, French is being reimagined as a language of regional belonging and geopolitical relevance.  It is in Australia’s best interest to cultivate a generation of young Australians who are not only knowledgeable but also culturally equipped to engage meaningfully with their neighbours in the Indo-Pacific region.

With the significant Francophone presence in the Indo-Pacific, French has emerged as a strategically important language with geo-political relevance. We can use the French-language as a vehicle to increase young people’s understanding of the Indo-Pacific, while also contributing to their global outlook and international-mindedness.

However, most initiatives currently focus on the Pacific region, with only a handful of projects addressing the Indian Ocean. It is essential to elevate the visibility of Francophonie in the Indian Ocean and to create opportunities for dialogue and understanding across both the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions to ensure a balanced representation. By doing so, we can inspire a generation of Australians who are truly Indo-Pacific-minded and ready to engage with this diverse and dynamic region.

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