In 1990 the Federal Government gave tertiary institutions throughout Australia the brief "... to ensure that Australians from all groups in society have the opportunity to participate successfully in higher education" (A Fair Chance for All, 1990, p. 2). This brief is in keeping with the government's much publicised (and criticised) rhetoric about education as the key to economic recovery--the means to make Australia into the clever country. While the connections between higher education and economic well- being at a national level continue to be a matter of debate, it is clear that "the student body at Australian universities is becoming increasingly multilingual and multicultural" (Kirkpatrick, 1995, p.43).