Indian Australians who rely on news, settlement information and community stories in their own languages have a timely opportunity to influence how those services are assessed. Public consultation on the SBS Language Services Review 2026/27 closes on Friday 13 November 2026.
The consultation is about the draft selection criteria SBS will use to help determine its future language offering. It is not an announcement that a particular Indian language will be added, expanded or removed. For families, students, older migrants and community organisations, the practical task this week is to explain what accessible language services need to deliver.
What is SBS reviewing?
SBS reviews its language services every five years in conjunction with the national Census. According to its official review FAQs, the process considers Census data alongside listening habits, digital platform use, demographic trends and financial parameters.
SBS currently provides services in more than 60 languages. The review can affect both which languages are serviced and how audiences receive content, including radio, podcasts and other digital platforms. That makes it relevant to people who listen on a traditional radio as well as those who use a phone.
The consultation opened on 5 October. Its immediate purpose is to gather feedback on the assessment framework before the final criteria are published and applied to the 2026 Census results.
The three draft criteria, explained
The published draft groups language needs into three areas. These are proposals under consultation, not final decisions about individual programs.
1. Large language communities
The draft proposes a population threshold of at least 25,000 people, with English-language proficiency also considered. The population measure refers to the main language other than English used at home in the 2026 Census, rather than simply a person’s birthplace or ancestry.
2. High-needs language communities
A minimum of 15 languages would be selected under this proposed criterion. It includes a population threshold of at least 1,000 people over 20 years old. The proposed weighting is 40 per cent for English-language proficiency, 40 per cent for recentness of arrival, and 10 per cent each for health status and workforce participation.
3. Social cohesion
SBS may also consider a sizeable language group whose significant needs are not adequately captured by the other criteria. Proposed factors include discrimination or vilification, humanitarian arrivals and access to quality in-language media.
For the Indian community in Australia, the important distinction is that different language communities can have different needs. A submission should explain those needs rather than assume that the size of the Indian-born population alone determines a language service’s future.
How to have your say before Friday
Individuals, community groups and organisations can participate. SBS says English is preferred for feedback, but submissions in other languages are accepted and independently translated.
- Start with the official website: visit sbs.com.au/languageservicesreview, read the draft criteria and follow the feedback-form instructions.
- Explain the practical need: describe who uses the service, the barriers they encounter and how the proposed criteria could better recognise those circumstances.
- Be specific: distinguish your personal experience from information gathered by an organisation, and avoid sharing another person’s private details without permission.
- Submit by Friday 13 November: keep a copy of your feedback and any confirmation you receive.
Online submissions are preferred. SBS also accepts written feedback postmarked by Friday 13 November, addressed to: Attention: SBS Audio Language Services Review, SBS Locked Bag 028, Crows Nest NSW 1585.
An Easy English guide is available through the review website. Anyone needing clarification, or wanting to amend submitted feedback, can use the contact options linked in SBS’s FAQs. Requests for an extension are considered case by case; do not assume extra time will be granted.
What could Indian-Australian submissions discuss?
Useful feedback could explain whether older relatives need straightforward access to Australian news, whether recent arrivals struggle to find reliable information in their preferred language, or whether regional audiences face different access barriers.
Community organisations could describe how they identify unmet needs across generations and language groups. These are suggested discussion points, not additional SBS eligibility requirements. Linking an example to a particular draft criterion will make the concern clearer than a general request for more coverage.
When will decisions be announced?
SBS’s published timetable sets out the next stages:
- May 2027: final selection criteria published.
- June 2027: 2026 Census data becomes available.
- September 2027: revised language services announced.
- December 2027: revised services implemented.
SBS says it does not already have a final list of languages to be serviced. Decisions will take account of the final criteria, Census data, audience needs and available resources; a submission is not a guarantee of a particular outcome.
The takeaway: if accessible language services matter to your household or organisation, explain why through the official consultation before 13 November. This week’s opportunity is to help shape the rules of the review, not to respond to a language-service decision that has already been made.