In a school just south of Boorloo's (Perth) CBD, Noongar language is being taught to primary school students.

Students from ages five to twelve at East Waikiki Primary School are able to speak in Noongar, saying kaya (hello) or yanga boordawan (thanks and I'll see you soon).

However, not all students across the country are getting the same opportunity to learn the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language of the land they live on.

Currently Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are being taught in communities and schools as per the directive from each state government.

The number of schools which see an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language being taught, varies greatly from each state.

At the top of the scale Western Australia and South Australia have 68 and 63 schools respectively, where an Aboriginal language is being taught.

In the Northern Territory, 49 schools deliver Indigenous Languages and Cultures education.

As of 2022 in Queensland, 46 state schools are working with language and Traditional Owners to teach different Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language in their school.

In New South Wales more than 20 schools participate in the NSW Aboriginal Language and Culture Nest program.

At the lower end of the scale, only 19 schools in Victoria teach a variety of Aboriginal languages as part of their Marrung Aboriginal Education plan.

As a result of Tasmania's colonised history, there are no living speakers of any First languages in Tasmania. Some First Nations speakers do speak palawa kani, a reconstructed Aboriginal language developed in the 1990s.

While there are Aboriginal education officers and teaching assistants in Tasmanian schools, a Tasmanian Department of Education spokesperson said there were no schools teaching Aboriginal language and no plans to introduce palawa kani into the curriculum.

Kimberley Language Resource Centre manager, Nykina and Nyul Nyul woman Sara Bergmann, said the lack of Aboriginal language mandates led to variation across Australia.

"Any school can decide whatever language they want to teach and so you'll still find schools in the Kimberley that might decide they feel like teaching Indonesian," she said.

"There's no state or federal policy about teaching Indigenous languages.

"The reason that we've got Indigenous languages in schools is because there's a mandate to teach a language and people can choose an Indigenous language should they want to."

The number of Indigenous languages being taught in schools in WA has almost doubled since 2020.

Currently, 10,000 WA public school students are learning one of 24 Aboriginal languages compared to the 6000 students in 2020.

Despite the rise in numbers, Ms Bergmann said it was worth questioning to what degree Aboriginal languages is being taught in schools.

"In terms of language revitalization, the school is a really, really good place to use as a foundation for getting people to speak a language again," she said.

"But having a 45 minute class once a week is not regular enough for someone to learn how to actually speak a language."

In Bundaberg, the Central Queensland Language Centre provides workshops and assist Traditional Owners in creating teaching and learning resources.

Language lessons are also a frequent job for the centre, as they work with Tannum Sands High School to deliver language lessons aligned with the curriculum.

By the end of their program, students are able to converse and write in the language

Despite their success, Central Queensland Language Centre language assistant Kira Mills said there needed to be a better national approach to teaching language.

"When teaching Aboriginal languages because there's so many out there, I don't think one way would be the right way for each of the languages," she said.

"But I do believe that if you are consistent with teaching the languages through each of the school levels...it would be a more sustainable, a more solid foundation."

The lack of policy is a hurdle many language centres and teachers run into in an attempt to teach an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language.

Goldfields Aboriginal Language Centre executive officer Sue Hanson said the lack of Aboriginal language mandates was the reason the languages were in decline.

"Because there's no state Aboriginal policy, no state recognition of languages, it flows through that Aboriginal people don't have under legislation they don't have rights for interpreters," she said.

"All schools are supposed to deliver a load language other than English as part of the curriculum, and it's up to the school to choose which language they do.

"It's a huge, very poor situation that needs to be remedied at a very high level. There needs to be a national policy and a framework that every state should appeal to."

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the Australian government is not responsible for the operation of individual schools.

"It is important to note that while the Australian Government plays a leadership role and provides funding for areas of national education importance, it does not have a direct role in the operation of schools," they said.

"Decisions relating to the teaching and availability of Indigenous languages as languages of formal study in schools are a matter for the state and territory education authorities and, in some cases, individual schools."

The spokesperson for the Department of Education also said the federal government had committed to help uplift the uptake of First Nations languages through First Nations community and school partnerships.