Australia still has a vibrant linguistic heritage, both from its indigenous people and the people that have left their countries of origin to call Australia home.
The Italian community in Australia is the largest non-English-speaking group.
However, like all other established immigrant groups, the Italians have been showing a steady shift away from their Italian languages to the use of English only. An analysis of recent censuses and data, obtained through recordings in the home and by participant observation in a transactional domain, presented in this article makes it clear that there are little grounds for optimism on the maintenance of either Italian or any of the Italian regional varieties in Australia.