IntroductionDespite Australia's ever-increasing multiculturalism, it has been found that "monolingualism is extraordinarily common in Australia throughout the general population and at all occupational levels (Bostock, 1973)" . With such a variety of cultures present, one might assume that Australian education systems have endless bilingual programs. However, this is not the case. Despite the successes of bilingual education on a global scale, little effort has been made to preserve Australian languages, meaning that language death has become an everyday factor faced by Indigenous individuals (Wurm, 1991). This article discusses the concept of bilingual education and its shortcomings in the transition from theory to practice, the political and social reception of bilingual education, and the bilingual education programs that have been resurrected internationally and nationally. By examining these areas, it is hoped that some clarity will be gained as to why Australian language bilingual education programs have been so successful. Bilingual education as a theoretical concept. especially within a constructivist teaching method, as well as the lives of students, parents and teachers (Rossi, 1999). By encouraging children to learn in a self-directed way, the enriching nature of 'learning to learn' allows young people to further promote the positive aspects of constructivism (Rossi, 1999). As a result, they not only become independent and confident learners, but also have bilingual language skills, rather than simple language performance. Harris (1978) states that linguistic performance “is simply the speaker's production of words, sounds, and sentences… in the middle of the paper… in harmony with English.” Consequently, this shows yet another positive aspect of bilingual education in the family unit, reinforcing the fact that the positive aspects are limited to only one medium of education but remain with them as they continue to grow in society (Jaggs, 1975). International Bilingual Programs Internationally, bilingual programs have proven to be successful in enriching students' academic and social lives and their overall quality of life. The closest bilingual program to Australia on a global scale is Maori-English bilingual education in New Zealand. Although the Māori language was evidently stronger and had a good chance of threatening the assimilationist movement of English, the main driving force behind their struggle to preserve their language was to satisfy the "psychological needs central to the well-being of individuals and Maori groups". Durie, 1997).’